Abstract:

Schwannomas originate from schwann cells of peripheral nerve sheats and account for 5% of benign soft tissue tumors. These tumors located extramedullary, sometimes may exit from intervertebral foramina and following the the spinal nerve roots may lead to dumbbell shaped mass. Several different surgical approaches can be used to operate these dumbbell tumors. Most commonly used approach is the laminectomy and costotransversectomy with posterior approach. But some authors propose that this approach is not enough to remove extraspinal parts of the tumor, emphasizing the necessity of thoracotomy.We present a 35 year old woman with a dumbbell shaped schwannoma at Th11 level. The tumor completely was removed with posterior approach by laminectomy and minimal costotransversectomy.We propose that only posterior approach may be enough to remove these tumors, and anterior or posterolateral approaches may be prefered in bigger and more invasive dumbbell tumors.

Keywords: