Ancient neurilemmoma of the facial nerve in the parotid gland

Facial nerve neurilemmomas or schwannomas are encapsulated benign tumors arising from the Schwann cells of the seventh cranial nerve. Most of the facial nerve neurilemmomas occur in the intratemporal region, with only 9% of cases involving a portion of the extratemporal segment, such as the intraparotid portion. Facial nerve neurilemmomas occurring within the parotid gland are rare. Here, we report a case of intraparotid facial nerve neurilemmoma in an 11-year-old female that had undergone degenerative changes, i.e. ancient schwannoma. Clinical features, pre-operative, intraoperative and histopathological features are discussed in detail. This case is important as it is rare in younger age groups, and is often an ignored entity, especially in the parotid region.