ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION:
Peripheric nerve tumors typically derive from Schwann cells of the peripheral nerve sheet. Since these tumors are uncommon, they should be considered in preoperative differential diagnosis.
OBJECTIVE:
To report the experience of a tertiary care department.
METHODS:
Forty-two patients with head and neck peripheral neurogenic tumors were retrospectively analyzed and evaluated from 1977 to 2013. The preoperative diagnosis was confirmed by biopsy or imaging study.
RESULTS:
The mean age was 41.7 and 15 patients (36%) were male. The mean size was 5.5 cm and 26 (61%) were located laterally in the neck. Most tumors (39.9%) presented as an asymptomatic neck mass. Most (39.9%) were resected through a neck approach. Cranial nerves were the commonest site of origin.
CONCLUSIONS:
Extracranial neurogenic tumors presented with a mean size of 5.5 cm, were located laterally in the neck, normally had their origin from cranial nerves, and their resection approach is cervical.
Keywords:
Neurilemmoma; Neurofibromatosis; Neurofibromatoses; Neurofibrosarcoma; Head and neck neoplasms
