• Wei Liu, Yun Li, Lingjia Chen, Zhiguang Liu, and Weidong Zhang.
• Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Hunan Provincial People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan, People's Republic of China.
• Medicine (Baltimore). 2022 Jul 22; 101 (29): e29669e29669.

IntroductionSchwannomas are the most common nerve sheath tumors in the paravertebral mediastinum. Although radiological imaging is helpful in diagnosing schwannomas, a definitive diagnosis is dependent on pathological features of a surgical specimen. For patients who require preoperative diagnosis, an incisional biopsy using minimally invasive surgery is preferred. Endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) is less commonly used for suspected schwannomas.Patient ConcernsA 48-year-old woman presented to the clinic with complaints of productive cough for >1 month, expectorating yellow and mucoid sputum approximately 4 to 5 times per day. Chest computed tomography revealed a well-circumscribed, homogeneous, soft tissue mass lesion in right upper posterior mediastinum, measuring 55 mm × 44 mm. Vocal fremitus in the right upper lung was diminished, the percussion note was slightly dull, and breath sounds were slightly reduced on auscultation. The patient was a nondrinker and nonsmoker, with no other relevant medical history. There was no significant relevant family medical history.DiagnosisComplete blood count and blood biochemistry were within normal limits, except for an elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate (32 mm/h). EBUS-TBNA was performed and histopathological findings were consistent with schwannoma.InterventionsThe patient underwent schwannoma excision by thoracoscopy. Pathological findings from the surgical specimen were consistent with the EBUS-TBNA results. Based on EBUS-TBNA and postsurgical pathology, the patient was diagnosed with a right upper mediastinal schwannoma (Antoni B).OutcomesThe patient experienced an uneventful postoperative recovery with no adjuvant therapy and was discharged on April 18, 2017. The patient has been followed up for 4 years and has not experienced any symptoms.ConclusionsCell blocks obtained from EBUS-TBNA afford the possibility of cytological examination and immunocytochemical staining, which can confirm diagnosis of schwannoma.Copyright © 2022 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.

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