Retroperitoneal schwannoma extending into the intravertebral foramen.

ABSTRACT

A 35-year-old Japanese man first visited the hospital for episodes of numbness in the right medial femoral region and loss of muscular strength in the right thigh. A CT scan of the abdomen showed a 10 x 9-cm well-circumscribed in homogeneous multilayered mass, in contact with the lumbar vertebrae. MRI demonstrated a hypodense and hyperdense mixed mass. Tumor extension into the L(2)/L(3) intravertebral foramen was shown. To avoid spinal cord damage, we chose enucleation of the tumor in the intravertebral foramen. A follow-up CT after 1 year showed no evidence of a recurrent mass. In conclusion, we advocate the nerve-sparing operation in cases like that of our patient.