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¹The First Hospital of Jilin University, Department of Neurosurgery,Changchun, Jilin, China
²The Second Hospital of Jilin University, Department of Neuroscience, Changchun, Jilin, China DOI : 10.5137/1019-5149.JTN.8153-13.0 Melanotic schwannoma is a rare “Schwann” cell tumor characterized by the deposition of melanin in the cell cytoplasm. Melanotic schwannoma varies greatly in terms of morphology and clinical manifestations. Here, we describe a patient with subdural extramedullary melanotic schwannoma of the thoracic spinal cord. The 47-year-old man presented with pain in his chest and back that had lasted a year, numbness and weakness in both his lower extremities for 20 days, and urinary retention for 4 days. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed a subdural extramedullary lesion at the level of the T2-T4 thoracic spinal cord. A total resection of the mass was performed. A diagnosis of melanotic schwannoma was made based on the histopathological examination. During the six-month follow-up period, no recurrence of the tumor was observed. A long-term follow-up will be necessary to fully evaluate this case. Keywords : Melanotic schwannoma, Extramedullary, Nerve sheath tumor