Solitary Schwannoma of the Olfactory Groove: Case Report and Review of the Literature

Abstract

Schwannomas of the olfactory groove are rare tumors. Only 10 have been reported in the past century. The case of a 59-year-old woman with an isolated olfactory schwannoma with cribriform plate erosion is presented.

A rare case of olfactory groove schwannoma

“…They occur more frequently in the anterior cranial fossa, mainly in the midline. The different terminologies associated with their rarity and enigmatic origin further complicates their study [1][2][3][6][7][8] . Schwannomas mainly arise from nerve sheaths of peripheral and cranial nerves (exception for first and second cranial nerves).…”

“…Schwannomas mainly arise from nerve sheaths of peripheral and cranial nerves (exception for first and second cranial nerves). However, the pathogenesis of intracranial schwannomas not directed associated with cranial nerves has been puzzling [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8] . Additionally, considerable debate exists whether they are primarily intra or extra-axial lesion 1,2 .…”

“…There are several hypotheses concerning their probable origin. Developmental theories advocate these lesions primarily arise from aberrant Schwann cells in the central nervous system [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]10 . Other theories suggest origin from multipotential mesenchymal cells or displacement of neural crest cells forming focus of Schwann cells within brain parenchyma (schwannosis) 1 .…”

“…Thus far, only twenty-nine cases have been described. They have been described under different designations, such as subfrontal, olfactory and olfactory groove schwannomas [1][2][3][4][5][6][7]9,10 reflecting their enigmatic origin. We describe a case of an anterior fossa schwannoma and discuss its pathogenesis.…”

Schwannomas from Olfactory Nerve: A Rare Type

“…On the other hand, non-developmental theories advocate that anterior cranial fossa schwannomas origin from Schwann cells normally represent in the anterior ethmoidal nerve, meningeal branches of the trigeminal nerve, perivascular nerve plexus, and olfactory groove. Moreover, reactive change after injury, for example, Schwann cell formation from multipotential mesenchymal cells in pateints with pathological changes like infarction or multiple sclerosis has been described [3,4].…”