Intraparotid facial nerve schwannoma: A case report

Quite rarely, major salivary glands tend to display neural tumors. Intraparotid facial nerve schwannoma, when encountered, is often confusing given the similarity of the histological pictures of such tumors with other primary salivary variants and phenotypes as well as the lack of definitive histological findings of fine needle biopsies. Therefore, the final decision is usually made, at the surgical setting. There, the lesional intimacy to the nerve and the frozen biopsy of the safety margins determine, quite correctly, the best treatment option. This paper reports a rare case of intraparotid facial nerve schwannoma and focuses light on such a diagnostic challenge.