Schwannomas of head and neck and review of literature.

Benign nerve cell tumours have been given various names like schwannoma, neurilemmoma, neurinoma, neurofibroma, spindle cell tumours etc. Extra cranial head and neck schwannomas usually present as solitary and well-demarcated lesions. The lesion can cause secondary symptoms, such as nasal obstruction, dysphasia, and hoarseness, depending upon the location of the lesion. Fine needle aspiration cytology, CT scans, and MRI may be of limited help in the diagnosis of schwannomas. The treatment is complete surgical excision of the benign tumour and postoperative histopathological examination establishes the final diagnosis.