The original nerve of a greater occipital nerve schwannoma causing occipital neuralgia identified with magnetic resonance neurography

Background: Schwannomas are benign tumors arising from Schwann cells in the peripheral nerve and rarely develop at suboccipital area. We report a case of a greater occipital nerve schwannoma causing occipital neuralgia. The original nerve of the schwannoma was identified with magnetic resonance neurography. Case presentation: A 69-year-old male patient was admitted for a suboccipital mass. Physical examination revealed an about 4cm beaded masses subcutaneously at suboccipital area. Magnetic resonance imaging showed that the lesions were not suppressed on 3 dimensional T2 weighting with fat suppression. Three dimensional fusion images (3 dimensional T2 weighting with fat suppression and 3-dimensional computed tomography) clearly revealed the original nerve of the lesions. The patient underwent a complete excision on the tumor. Histopathological examination diagnosed it as a schwannoma. Conclusion: The present case is instructive in terms of not only a rare case but also the following of the original nerve with magnetic resonance neurography.