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Review
. 2023 Aug;36(4):486-490.
doi: 10.1177/19714009221147233. Epub 2022 Dec 19.

Features and management of a schwannoma of the chorda tympani and review of the literature

Francesco Maccarrone  1 , Alfredo Lo Manto  1   2 , Silvia Piccinini  3 , Sauro Tassi  1 , Maurizio Negri  1
Affiliations
Review

Features and management of a schwannoma of the chorda tympani and review of the literature

Francesco Maccarrone et al. Neuroradiol J. 2023 Aug.

Abstract

Intrinsic facial nerve tumors are rare lesions. Among the different histology types, schwannomas is the most frequently reported in literature. Other histological types of facial nerve tumors are hemangiomas, meningiomas, and neurofibromas. Chorda tympani schwannomas (CTSs) are extremely rare entities and are considered as an independent subgroup of facial nerve schwannomas because of their clinical characteristics. The aim of this report is to present the clinical and radiological features and the management of a CTS in a 27-year-old male presenting with conductive hearing loss.

Keywords: Chorda tympani schwannoma; facial nerve; middle ear tumor.

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Conflict of interest statement

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Intraoperative finding of the tympanic cavity after elevation of the tympanomeatal flap through a microscopic transcanal retroauricolar view. m, malleus; pml, posterior malleolar ligament; p, promontory; cts, chorda tympani schwannoma.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Intrapoperative view of the mass originating from CT. m, malleus; cts, chorda tympani schwannoma; ct, chorda tympani; s, stapes.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Sagittal sections of CT scan (a) and MRI T1-wi with gadolinium (b) at the level of the petrotynoanic fissure.
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
MRI T1-wi with gadolinium showing the contrast enhancement of the facial nerve along its course. Fundus of the internal auditory canal (red arrow). Intralabyrinthine tract (green arrow). Geniculate ganglion (yellow arrow).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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