Schwannoma of the tongue in a ten-year old child

The case of a 10-year-old girl is presented who had a slow-growing, painless swelling on the left side of the tongue since six months. This was associated with disturbances in mastication and phonation. Examination revealed a 5 cm x 4 cm. globular smooth, mobile mass on left side of the tongue. There was no neurological deficit and no neck nodes palpable. She underwent excision of the mass under general anaesthesia. Complete enucleation with primary closure was carried out. The patient had an uneventful postoperative recovery and histological evaluation was consistent with schwannoma. The patient was recurrence free after one year.