A report of three cases of surgical removal of esophageal schwannomas.

Esophageal schwannomas are rarely observed, and the most frequent presenting symptom is dysphagia. In such cases, esophageal endoscopy shows a mucosal protrusion with normal esophageal mucosa. Esophagography shows a protruding smooth mass in the middle thoracic esophagus. Both fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) and endoscopic ultrasonography-fine needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) are limited for diagnosing the case. Diagnosis of this condition before surgery is difficult. The most common and effective treatment is enucleation through surgery or endoscopy. Thoracoscopic surgery is gradually becoming used more often, and the prognosis is particularly good. In comparison, thoracoscopy surgery is less invasive, with a shorter length of hospital stay, and reduced pain at the surgical wound site. Extended lymph node dissection was not performed. The positive expression of S-100 on immunohistochemistry examination indicates the nature of the schwannoma. In the present cases, the postoperative course was uneventful, and no evidence of recurrence has been noted.