Two Cases of Hypoglossal Neurilemmoma in the Submandibular Space / 대한이비인후과학회지

ABSTRACT

Neurilemmomas are tumors arising from the myelin-producing Schwann cells of the peripheral nervous system. Neurilemmomas of the 12th cranial nerve are rare, with most originating intracranially. The rarity of such pathology in the submandibular space makes proper preoperative diagnosis difficult, and is often mistaken to be an inflammatory mass, a malignant lymph node or a salivary gland tumor. The preoperative diagnosis of hypoglossal nerve neurilemmoma in this region is very important in that the patient must be warned of the morbidity of sacrificing the nerve during surgical excision and that the surgeon might be prepared for nerve graft. Therefore, we report recent experience of 2 cases of hypoglossal nerve neurilemmomas occurring in the submandibular area with a review of literature focusing on radiological findings and preoperative differential diagnosis.