retropharyngeal space schwannoma: a rare entity

Introduction: retropharyngeal space schwannomas are rare entities. about 20-45% of schwannomas occur in the head and neck region; however, they represent less than 1% of all head and neck tumors.  case report: we present the case of a 36-year-old woman complaining of dysphagia caused by a large schwannoma arising in the posterior pharyngeal wall with remarkable reduction of the oropharyngeal space. the tumor was resected through a combined transoral and cervicotomic transmandibular approach due to its dimension. no recurrence was observed after a two-year follow up.  this case represents the thirteenth case reported in international literature.  conclusion: preoperative settings for rare tumors such as retropharyngeal schwannomas should include radiological investigations and preoperative biopsy. in order to obtain a successful result in terms of radicality, a combined surgical approach may be necessary to completely control the extension of the lesion.