Giant Schwannoma of the tongue accompanied by difficulty in closing the mouth and dysarthria: A case report

Publication date: Available online 23 March 2019Source: Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Medicine, and PathologyAuthor(s): Miyako Shimomura-Kurihara, Kazuhiko Yamamoto, Tadahiro Shimomura, Satoshi Horita, Takahiro Yagyuu, Hiroyuki Shimomura, Tadaaki KiritaAbstractSchwannomas are benign nerve sheath tumors and the most common intraoral sites are the tongue. They are usually painless and slow-growing. Here we report a case of giant schwannoma of the tongue which caused difficulty in closing the mouth and dysarthria. The patient was a 58-year-old woman. She had left a mass of the tongue untreated for approximately 30 years and came to our department with chief complaint of difficulty in closing the mouth. A 95 mm painless mass was identified at the anterior tongue. Difficulty in closing the mouth and dysarthria were caused by the giant tumor of the tongue protruding out of the oral cavity. Tissue biopsy confirmed a diagnosis of schwannoma. The tumor was completely resected under general anesthesia with nasotracheal intubation using the awake fiberoptic technique. After surgery, ability to close the mouth was regained and dysarthria was improved. Recurrence has not been observed for 9 years after surgery.

Source: Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Medicine, and Pathology - March 23, 2019 Category: ENT & OMF Source Type: research