A Case of Bronchial Schwannoma Diagnosed by Bronchoscopic Biopsy and Treated by Lobectomy

Abstract

Background. A schwannoma can arise anywhere a peripheral nerve exists, but a bronchial schwannoma is rare. Here, we report a case of bronchial schwannoma diagnosed by bronchoscopic biopsy and treated by lobectomy. Case. A 70-year-old woman was referred to our hospital because of an abnormal chest X-ray shadow detected during a community-based screening examination. Chest CT scans showed a 2.5 cm nodule in the hilum of the left lung and atelectasis in the left S³. Bronchoscopic examination showed an obstruction of the left B³ with vascular enlargement and a smooth, edematous, polypoid tumor. Biopsy tissue examination revealed spindle-shaped cells positive for anti-S-100 protein and anti-vimentin antibody, so a diagnosis of schwannoma was established. Because of the possibility of malignancy, a left upper lobectomy was performed. Pathological examination of the surgical specimen revealed a benign bronchial schwannoma. The postoperative course was uneventful, and at the time of this writing, the patient was doing well without recurrence 17 months after surgery. Conclusion. We performed a surgical resection of a rare bronchial schwannoma diagnosed by bronchoscopic biopsy.