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| Summary | Nerve = one of the fibers that connects the body with the brain and spinal cord Nerve sheath tumors originate from the insulating layer, or sheath, around nerves. Nerve sheath tumors may arise on any nerve in the body, including the cranial nerves, the spinal nerves, and the peripheral nerves (nerves outside the brain and spinal cord). At The Spine Hospital at The Neurological Institute of New York, Dr. McCormick specializes in treating spinal nerve sheath tumors. Nerve sheath tumors tend to be benign, or noncancerous. They usually grow slowly. However, even benign nerve sheath tumors must be treated if they grow large enough to interfere with the underlying nerve or nearby spinal cord. At The Spine Hospital at The Neurological Institute, our neurosurgeons have a great deal of experience designing treatment plans for individual patients and, when necessary, removing the nerve sheath tumor. The most common types of nerve sheath tumors are schwannomas and neurofibromas. In most patients, the cause of these tumors is unknown. These are called “sporadic” cases. Nerve sheath tumors may also occur in families with inherited conditions known as Neurofibromatoses. Neurofibromatosis has three forms: Neurofibromatosis Type I (NF I), Neurofibromatosis Type II (NF II), and Schwannomatosis. Neurofibromas occur in patients with NF 1, while schwannomas occur in patients with NF II and Schwannomatosis. For more in-depth information about each type of nerve sheath tumor, follow the above link to its page. |
| Preparing for your Appointment | Drs. Paul C. McCormick, Michael G. Kaiser, Alfred T. Ogden, Christopher E. Mandigo, Patrick C. Reid and Richard C.E. Anderson (Pediatric) are experts in treating spinal nerve sheath tumors. They can also offer you a second opinion. |
Helpful Surgery Overviews
Dr. McCormick will choose the treatment method specific to each patient and situation. Some of the condition’s treatment options may be listed below.
Recent News
In his latest installment to the Total Spine series of instructional videos, Dr. Paul McCormick describes retropleural thoracotomy, a surgical technique used to treat complex spinal conditions of the thoracic and lumbar spine. “Retropleural thoracotomy is an important...
https://www.neurosurgery.columbia.edu/news/columbia-neurosurgeons-named-new-yorks-super-doctor
Synovial Cysts are a benign and fairly common condition in adult patients. They can arise in most joints throughout the body. In most cases they are asymptomatic but in the spine they can enlarge to produce severe spinal stenosis and pressure on the spinal nerves...
Dr. McCormick was a featured speaker at the recent 37th Annual Joint Spine Section Annual Spine Summit meeting held in San Diego. He presented at the Innovative Technology Special Session: Operative Video Segments. His presentation was entitled “Intramedullary Tumor,...
