Mesenteric schwannoma: an unusual cause of abdominal mass

Abstract

Schwannomas (or neurilemmomas) are slow-growing mesenchymal neoplasms of the peripheral nerve sheath that may arise at almost any anatomical site. Mesentery schwannoma is extremely rare, with less than ten previously described cases. We present the case of a 38-year-old woman with arterial hypertension and chronic kidney disease with an abdominal painless mass of two years duration and an inconclusive pre-operative clinical diagnosis; she was successfully treated by complete surgical resection of the mass. The aim of this report is to recognize the possibility of schwannomas in the differential diagnosis of abdominal slowly growing tumors.