[Accessory nerve schwannoma of the intracisternal type: a case report].

Accessory nerve schwannomas are extremely rare and they are classified into three types according to their locations; intrajugular, intracisternal and spinal canal type. We report a case of intracisternal schwannoma that arose from the spinal accessory nerve roots and we describe it's clinical characteristics. A-48-year-old female was admitted to our hospital with a complaint of left occipital pain. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed a well-defined mass 2.5×1.5 cm in the left cerbellomedullary cistern. It was enhanced heterogeneously with gadolinium. Cerebral angiography showed a mildly hypervascular lesion. Total removal of the tumor was performed by the left lateral suboccipital approach and the histological diagnosis was schwannoma.