2003 Volume 12 Issue 9 Pages 637-641
Intracranial schwannomas commonly arise from the sensory nerve, and they rarely affect the pure motor nerve (fflrd, IVth, Vlth). Schwannomas of the VIth cranial nerve are exceptionally rare and only 10 cases have been previously reported in the literature. We report a case of a 60-year-old male who presented with diplopia. On neurological examination, only a left abducens nerve palsy could be demonstrated. Magnetic resonance imaging showed a 1.5 cm mass with cyst formation in the lateral side of the left cavernous sinus. Surgery was performed using the Dolenc epidural approach. Partial removal of the tumor was performed. Postoperative histopathological examination confirmed the diagnosis of schwannoma. One week after the surgery, the patients' symptoms started to improve. Ultimately, the symptoms were completely resolved during only a month after the surgery.