Abstract

An esophageal schwannoma originating in a schwann cell of a neuron presents as a type of submucosal tumor. An esophageal schwannoma is extremely rare, with only 30 reported cases. It is usually a benign tumor. However, three cases with malignant findings and one case with local recurrence have been reported. Reviews of previous reports indicate that benign schwannomas are usually located in the upper esophagus and occur in middle aged- women. An esophageal schwannoma is usually asymptomatic but sometimes causes dysphagia as an initial symptom and dyspnea by trachea compression. The differentiation of a schwannoma from the other submucosal tumors is very difficult on a preoperative examination with the use of esophagoscopy, endoscopic ultrasound and computed tomography. A definite diagnosis of the tumor requires a histological examination and immunohistochemical staining. Positive immunostaining for s-100 protein supports the schwann cell origin of the tumor. We report a case of an esophageal schwannoma with intense FDG uptake as detected on PET-CT. (Korean J Gastrointest Endosc 2008;37:339-343)

• Keywords: Esophagus, Schwannoma, PET-CT