Synchronous schwannomas of the hypoglossal nerve and cervical sympathetic chain.

chwannomas are tumon arising Ilom the myelin-producing Schwann cells of the peripheral sensory nervous system. Of those occuning in the head and neck region, most are infracranial. lnvolvement of cranial nerves containing motor fibers alone is uncharacteristic. Schwannomas of the l2th cranial nerve are rare, with most originating intracranially, although some may extend extracranially with prolonged growth. Hypoglossal nerve schwannomas may rarely arise exclusively along the extracranial portion of the nerve, and to our knowledge eight such cases have been reported [-3]. Schwannomas involving the cervical sympathetic chain are equally rare, with only a handful of cases reported in the literature [41. We describe the unique case of a patient with hypoglossal nerve and cervical sympathetic chain schwannomas presenting concomitantly as submandibular and carotid space masses, respectively. Because of the rarity of schwannomas in these particular locations, this diagnosis was not considered in the interpretation of the preoperative imaging studies.