Treatment of a malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor and its complications through a multidisciplinary approach

J Neurosurg Pediatr. 2011 May;7(5):543-8. doi: 10.3171/2011.2.PEDS1175.

Abstract

The authors report the case of a 14-year-old girl with a residual malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor after thoracotomy, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. The residual tumor, which involved the intercostal muscles, aorta, and neural foramina of T4-10, was completely resected through a costotransversectomy and multiple hemilaminotomies with the patient in the prone position and was stabilized using a T1-12 pedicle screw fusion. Postoperatively, the patient developed several infections requiring multiple washouts and prolonged antibiotics. Thirty months after surgery, she developed a bronchocutaneous fistula. The hardware was removed, and a vascularized latissimus dorsi free flap was placed over the lung. She continued to have an air leak and presented 3 weeks later with a 40° left thoracic curve. She returned to the operating room for a T2-L2 fusion with a vascularized fibular graft. On postoperative Day 1, she underwent a bronchoscopy and had her left lower lobe airways occluded with multiple novel one-way endobronchial valves. She is now 5 years out from her tumor resection and 3 years out from her definitive fusion. She has no evidence of residual tumor, infection, or pseudarthrosis and continues to remain asymptomatic.

Publication types

  • Case Reports
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Biopsy
  • Combined Modality Therapy
  • Cooperative Behavior*
  • Follow-Up Studies
  • Humans
  • Image Processing, Computer-Assisted
  • Interdisciplinary Communication*
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging
  • Neoadjuvant Therapy
  • Neoplasm, Residual / complications
  • Neoplasm, Residual / drug therapy
  • Neoplasm, Residual / radiotherapy
  • Neoplasm, Residual / surgery
  • Nerve Sheath Neoplasms / complications*
  • Nerve Sheath Neoplasms / drug therapy
  • Nerve Sheath Neoplasms / radiotherapy
  • Nerve Sheath Neoplasms / surgery*
  • Neurologic Examination
  • Patient Care Team*
  • Postoperative Complications / diagnosis
  • Postoperative Complications / etiology
  • Postoperative Complications / surgery
  • Quality of Life
  • Radiotherapy, Intensity-Modulated
  • Reoperation
  • Spinal Fusion
  • Spinal Neoplasms / complications
  • Spinal Neoplasms / drug therapy
  • Spinal Neoplasms / radiotherapy
  • Spinal Neoplasms / surgery*
  • Thoracic Neoplasms / complications
  • Thoracic Neoplasms / drug therapy
  • Thoracic Neoplasms / radiotherapy
  • Thoracic Neoplasms / surgery*
  • Thoracic Vertebrae / pathology
  • Thoracic Vertebrae / surgery
  • Thoracoscopy
  • Thoracotomy
  • Tomography, X-Ray Computed
  • Tumor Burden