소아의 청신경초종: 증례보고

A case of pediatric vestibular schwannoma: report on its rarity and treatment outcome

When vestibular schwannomas (VSs) are found in younger age group, they are typically bilateral and associated with neurofibromatosis (NF). Unilateral VS in a child or adolescent without NF is rare. A 14-year old girl presented with hard of hearing and right facial weakness. Magnetic resonance images (MRI) with contrast demonstrated a unilateral extraaxial tumor containing solid and cystic component, extending out of the internal auditory meatus, and distorting the brain stem. The tumor was resected radically but subtotally via a retromastoid suboccipital craniotomy. Microscopic examination of the removed tumor confirmed a schwannoma. A small residual tumor around the meatal porus was stable on follow-up MR imagings serially performed over 4 years. The authors herein describe the clinical and radiographic features of VSs in children, with a special attention to the treatment outcome.