2003 Volume 17 Issue 5 Pages 609-613
A 70-year-old woman was referred to our hospital for the right hilar abnormal shadow on chest X-ray. A chest CT scan showed a 45 mm diameter cystic mass adjacent to the right atrium. We suspected a neurogenic tumor originating from the right phrenic nerve, but wouldn't rule out a thymic cyst or a pericardial cyst. Finally, without a definitive diagnosis, we performed VATS. By macroscopic findings and frozen section examination, we diagnosed it as the neurogenic tumor originating from the rt phrenic nerve and resected the tumor preserving as much neuron fiber as possible. Schwannoma of the phrenic nerve is a rare lesion. Including this report, only 12 cases have been reported in Japan. We present a case and a review of the literture.
