Great auricular nerve schwannoma in neck region: a case report with the risk of medical disputes

BACKGROUND: Great auricular nerve schwannoma is extremely rare. Herein, we reported the first case of schwannoma arising from great auricular nerve trunk. CASE PRESENTATION: A 29 year-old female complained of a slowly-growing superfacial neck mass for 6 months. MRI revealed a high possibility of schwannoma. Although the patient underwent successfully surgical removal of the tumor, ipsilateral numbness of both auricle and peripheral skin developed due to traction of the nerve. Immunohistochemistry staining confirmed the diagnosis of schwannoma. And the patient has been followed regularly. CONCLUSION: For superficial cervical tumors, the cervical plexus cutaneous nerve should be considered if MRI and other imaging findings suggest neurogenic tumors.