Ancient Schwannoma of the Brachial Plexus

Ancient schwannomas are schwannomas with degenerative changes. Schwannomas most commonly arise from the peripheral nerve sheath. We report a 33 yr female patient who presented with a swelling in the right axilla of 6 months duration. Her hematological investigations were normal, but her specific investigations of the swelling were not conclusive. On exploration of the right axilla, the swelling was found to be entangled in the brachial plexus. After careful dissection, enucleation of the swelling was done. Histopathological examination of the specimen revealed schwannoma with degenerative changes. The patient developed weakness involving the median nerve which recovered completely with supportive therapy. This case is being presented for its rarity.