gms | German Medical Science

Introduction: Neurinoma of the vagal nerve are rare and usually accidentally found when exploring a neck tumor grown slowly and painless. Case: We report about a 49-year-old patient with an extensive neurinoma of the vagal nerve. The tumor growed under destruction of the skull base from the brainstem to the lower neck vessel sheath. The tumor had already destroyed the nerves of the foramen jugulare. The surgery was performed in cooperation of the ENT- and neurosurgeon-department. Initially the cervical part of the tumor was removed by transcervical approach, then the endocranial part of the tumor was resected via retrosigmoidal craniotomie and partial petrosectomy.

Discussion: The incidence of neurinoma of the vagal nervein 15 years was 1:10 000 in comparsion to all ENT patinents in our department. The diagnostic and therapeutic procedure is determined by the preoperative nerve function. After verifying te diagnosis of a neurinoma and in case of an intakt nerve a detailed information to the patient is absolutly nessecarry before any manipulation. If the nerve funktion is lost there are no problems for tumor resection.

Tumors with an intracranial extension should be treated interdisciplinarily (ENT/neurosurgery).