A Rare Case of a Schwannoma in the Dorsal Aspect of the Foot: A Case Report of an 18-Year-Old Man with an Ankle Mass

Neurilemmomas also called schwannomas are benign tumors originating from the Schwann cells participating in the peripheral nerve sheath and the pathophysiology of the formation of these tumors is not completely understood. Schwannomas are mostly benign with equal incidence rate in men and women. These tumors have been mainly found in the head and neck, upper extremities, and the trunk. Lower extremity schwannomas are extremely rare, specifically in the dorsum of the foot.

In this report, we present an 18-year-old man referred to surgery clinic with a painful mass on the anterolateral dorsal aspect of his left ankle with radicular pain and paresthesia to the distal dorsum of the forefoot. After completing all the assessments including ultrasonography and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), he underwent the surgical resection procedure. The pathology laboratory reported an encapsulated 35 * 20 * 15 mm solitary benign schwannoma.

The dorsal aspect of the foot is an extremely rare site for schwannoma formation, but practitioners should always be aware of rare underlying diseases for neurologic deficits or just a simple pain in the lower extremities.