A rare case of schwannomatosis with meningioma: a case report

Introduction: Schwannomatosis is characterized by multiple schwannomas without vestibular schwannomas or any other stigmata of neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2). Schwannomatosis is a rare disorder, with a reported incidence ranging from 1 in 40 000 to 1 in 1.7 million. Meningioma is also associated with schwannomatosis in around 5% of cases.

Case presentation: We describe a case of a 20-year-old female presenting with progressive weakness of the right lower limb for 7 months with a tingling sensation and numbness of the same limb for 6 months and was found to have schwannomatosis with multiple spinal and right cerebellopontine angle (CPA) (9th/10th cranial nerve) schwannomas and left anterior cranial fossa meningioma.

Discussion: Schwannomas in schwannomatosis are seen along the cranial, spinal, and peripheral nerves but not along the vestibular nerve, as is characteristically seen in NF2. The occurrence of meningiomas is about 5% in individuals with schwannomatosis, and the patient in our case also had an associated meningioma. The tumor was confirmed to be a schwannoma based on features on an MRI examination and histological examination.

Conclusion: It is of great significance to identify the entire spectrum of the disease in a patient with schwannomatosis, and to differentiate it from related conditions in order to track and surgically manage the patient appropriately based on symptomatology and imaging findings.