A Case of Cervical Sympathetic Neurinoma Diagnosed by Ultrasonography

A 67-year-old woman presented with a right cervical mass which she had first noticed in May 1998. The hard elastic tumor was 4×3×3cm in size. A CT scan showed that the tumor was homogeneously enhanced. MR images (T1-WI) showed a homogenous isointense mass under the right carotid bifurcation. On B-mode ultrasonography with color flow Doppler, the tumor had a heterogeneous intensity and the margin was well demarcated. The right vagal nerve adjoined the tumor. The tumor was continuous with the cervical sympathetic nerve. Color flow Doppler showed pulsatile feeding arteries in the tumor. Conventional angiography showed that the tumor was fed by the right external carotid artery. We diagnosed the tumor as a neurinoma arising from the cervical sympathetic nerve. On Sept. 30, 1998, the cervical tumor was resected totally. On histological examination, the tumor was diagnosed as a neurinoma with components of Antoni B type. The patient showed Homer's symptoms after the operation.B-mode ultrasonography with color flow Doppler can provide anatomical details of tumors and be a very useful tool for evaluating cervical mass lesions.