A 17-Year-Old Male with Large Retropharyngeal Neurofibroma as the Only Symptom of Neurofibromatosis Type 1 (NF1): A Case Report and Review of Literature

Abstract

Retropharyngeal neurofibromas are rarely described in the literature and are commonly associated with severe airway-related symptoms. We report a unique case of a large retropharyngeal plexiform neurofibroma in an asymptomatic 17-year-old male patient. This patient was asymptomatic and presented for lower lip edema secondary to an insect bite. Head and neck imaging demonstrated an extensive retropharyngeal neurofibroma measuring 5.7 cm × 2.2 cm × 6.8 cm. Because of extensive involvement of cervical vasculature, the lesion was not resected in our institution and his care was referred to a large neurofibromatosis type I center.

Keywords

plexiform neurofibroma - retropharyngeal - neurofibromatosis

Publication History

Received: 09 September 2019

Accepted: 04 October 2019

Article published online:
15 November 2019

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