High Thoracic Schwannoma Presenting as Chest Pain: A Case Report

Abstract

Background

Chest pain due to thoracic spinal cord tumors is rarely reported; however, we did not find any report of chest pain as presentation of spinal cord tumors.

Findings

A patient with right-sided acute onset chest pain without marked neurologic findings is presented. Six months after presentation, an intradural extramedullary schwannoma at the level of T1-T2 was detected by magnetic resonance imaging. After removing the tumor, chest pain completely disappeared and the pain did not return after a one-year follow-up.

Conclusions

Spinal cord tumors must be considered as the source of chest pain after exclusion of other causes of chest pain.

KEY WORDS:

• Spinal cord
• chest pain
• schwannoma