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Case Reports
. 2020 Jun 17;13(6):e233371.
doi: 10.1136/bcr-2019-233371.

Non-functioning retroperitoneal abdominal schwannoma

Sherif Sultan  1   2 , Nora Barrett  3 , Stephanie Curran  4 , Niamh Hynes  2
Affiliations
Case Reports

Non-functioning retroperitoneal abdominal schwannoma

Sherif Sultan et al. BMJ Case Rep. .

Abstract

There are less than 150 cases of non-functioning retroperitoneal abdominal schwannoma (NRS) reported. Hormonal assay is crucial in confirming the diagnosis of NRS, as manipulation of a functional retroperitoneal paraganglioma will instigate an abrupt liberation of catecholamines, resulting in devastating consequences. We report the case of 42-year-old woman who presented with headache, night sweats and abdominal discomfort. Cross-sectional imaging demonstrated a retroperitoneal mass adherent to the aorta and inferior vena cava but biochemical testing of blood and urine was negative for metanephrines and normetanephrines. She underwent successful tumour resection via laparotomy, as location increased the complexity and risk of laparoscopic resection.

Keywords: pathology; surgery; vascular surgery.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: None declared.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
(A) Computerised tomographic angiography (CTA) non-functioning retroperitoneal abdominal schwannoma (NRS) totally compressing inferior vena cava and pushing it anteriorly and aorta lies to the left. (B) CTA lateral view shows almost total obliteration of the inferior vena cava lumen by external compression by the NRS. (C) CTA’s sagittal view shows almost total obliteration of the inferior vena cava lumen by external compression by the NRS. (D) Magnetic resonance angiography showing the tumour lying posterior to the inferior vena cava and to the right of the aorta.
Figure 2
Figure 2
(A) Fully excised non-functioning retroperitoneal abdominal schwannoma with intact capsule. (B) Transverse section showing the yellowish necrotic core. (C) A medium power magnification of the tumour, with H&E stain, demonstrating the typical spindle cell morphology of schwannoma. (D) This shows the diffuse positive reaction for S100 in the lesional cells by immunohistochemical staining.
Figure 3
Figure 3
(A) Non-functioning retroperitoneal abdominal schwannoma (NRS) compressing the inferior vena cava. (B) NRS compressing the inferior vena cava with right ovarian vein transversing anteriorly and the aorta lying posteriorly. (C) Excision of the whole tumour with intact capsule.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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