Advanced MR and PET Imaging Characteristics of an Intra-Axial Brain Schwannoma

Intra-axial brain schwannomas are very rare. Several case reports have described the difficulty in differentiating these lesions from more common brain tumors using conventional imaging. We present the first report documenting the MR perfusion, MR spectroscopy, and FDG-PET/CT characteristics of an intra-axial schwannoma. Although our conclusions are limited to a single case, it appears that advanced imaging may potentially be helpful in differentiating intra-axial schwannomas from other tumors that look similar on routine imaging.