Ancient schwannoma of the obturator nerve: an uncommon cause of pelvic neuralgia

Abstract

Retroperitoneal tumors are uncommon; benign tumors originating in the nerve cells as schwannomas represent less than 3%, while schwannomas of the obturator nerve are extremely rare. We report the case of a male patient with significant functional compromise of the left lower limb and pelvic pain who was diagnosed with a retroperitoneal tumor. The patient underwent laparoscopic surgery during which the compromise of the obturator nerve was evident. The lesion was completely resected with
partial preservation of the nerve. The patient progressed with favorable functional recovery and pain relief. The histopathological examination reported a benign ancient schwannoma.
We believe that this case report can help to understand a very rare condition and consider some key points such as the technique of approach and the need for preservation of the nerve structures.