A Case of Schwannoma Arising from the Nerve Plexus around the Common Hepatic Artery

Abstract

A 65-year-old man who had been diagnosed as having an inguinal hernia was scheduled to undergo surgery for repair of the hernia. Prior to the surgery, he underwent abdominal ultrasonography, and a tumor measuring 80 mm in diameter was detected incidentally at the hepatic hilus. On contrast-enhanced CT, the tumor showed peripheral enhancement and contained a homogeneous low-density area. The tumor was visualized as a high-intensity signal on T1-weighted MR imaging, and showed elevated FDG uptake on positron emission tomography (PET). The surface of the tumor was smooth, but the tumor pressed on the common bile duct, right hepatic artery and right portal vein.

It was difficult to determine if the tumor was malignant, therefore, we performed surgical resection. As the tumor was found intraoperatively to be firmly adherent to the common bile duct and the right portal vein, we performed right hepatectomy with reconstruction of the bile tract. The histopathological diagnosis was schwannoma arising from the nerve plexus around the common hepatic artery.