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RACS ASC 2024

Tonsillar schwannoma: a rare case report and review of the literature

Poster

Presentation Description

Institution: Monash Health - Victoria, Australia

Purpose: Schwannomas are a generally benign lesion of peripheral nerves. While many may arise from in the head and neck region, there are very few reports arising from the palatine tonsils. A rare case of a tonsillar schwannoma is described in a 26-year-old male patient who presented with a 2-day history of right sided throat pain. The diagnosis was confirmed on histopathology from an incisional biopsy, where a concomitant peritonsillar abscess was drained. Completion tonsillectomy was performed. A review of the literature was performed to detail presentation, investigation, and management of this condition. Methodology: A search was performed of MEDLINE and Pubmed databases for tonsil schwannoma. Non-English and entries without full text articles were excluded. Results: A total of 9 reports of tonsil schwannomas were identified in the literature. 5 of 9 patients were female, and 3 of 9 were male. The average age was 39.7 years, with range from 13-74 years of age. Most symptoms were of an enlarging mass with odynophagia and dysphagia. CT was performed in most cases, with MRI utilised in one. 3 of 9 cases underwent tonsillotomy, with the rest having completion tonsillectomy, but nil noted recurrence. Conclusion: Tonsillar schwannomas are a rare clinical entity with only 9 previous cases being reported in the literature. A case of 26-year-old is described, with the first in the literature being reported with concomitant peritonsillar abscess. Most cases reported have been investigated with CT imaging, and underwent either tonsillectomy or tonsillotomy without evidence of recurrence post.

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Authors

Authors

Dr Fady Daniel - , Mr Adnan Safdar -