Schwannoma of Cranial Motor Nerves

Schwannomas constitute less than 10% of all intracranial tumors. These usually arise from sensory cranial nerves. Vestibular schwannoma is the most common intracranial schwannoma and schwannomas from oculomotor and abducent nerves are rare. We report 2 cases of intracranial schwannomas arising from the third and sixth cranial nerves. Schwannomas from motor cranial nerves should be strongly suspected if patients present with isolated cranial nerve deficits and imaging reveals tumor localization along the course of the suspected nerves.