How to check neurofibroma

People may develop tumors due to some abnormalities in their bodies, but some tumors are benign and some are malignant. Benign tumors do not cause much harm to people's bodies, but if they are not treated for a long time, they may develop into malignant tumors. Neurofibroma is also a type of benign tumor that can be treated with laser surgery. How should neurofibromas be examined?

Four major types of neurofibromas

Intracranial tumors: Acoustic neuroma is the most common. Bilateral acoustic neuroma is the main feature of NFⅡ. It is often combined with meningioma, multiple meningiomas, gliomas, ventricular ependymomas, meningocele and hydrocephalus, spinal nerve posterior root schwannoma, etc. The optic nerve, trigeminal nerve and posterior cranial nerves can all occur. In a few cases, there may be mental retardation, memory impairment and epileptic seizures.

Cutaneous neurofibroma: The tumor has no capsule and is composed of neurofibroma cells and nerve sheath cells. The neurofibroma cells are immature collagen fiber bundles with thinner fibrils and some mucus between the fibers. The nerve sheath cells are slender, rhombic or slightly curved and wavy, with unclear cell boundaries, pale eosinophilic cytoplasm, and obvious filamentous processes of varying lengths at both ends; the nuclei are often darkly stained, and most of them are loosely arranged parallel to the collagen fiber bundles in a wavy or whorl shape.

Intraspinal tumors: Single or multiple neurofibromas and meningiomas may occur at any plane of the spinal cord, and may be accompanied by spinal deformity, myelocele, and syringomyelia.

Subcutaneous plexiform neurofibroma: invades surrounding large nerves and shows irregular nerve bundles. The proliferating nerve sheath cells and collagen fibers form curved cords, surrounded by a myxoid amorphous stroma.

How to detect neurofibroma

Chromosome examination: abnormalities in autosomes 17q and 22q. Genetic analysis can determine the types of NFⅠ and NFⅡ mutations.

X-ray: X-ray films are used to assist in the examination. If the patient suffers from this disease, various bone deformities can be found through this examination. If central nervous system tumors are found after myelography, CT and MRI examinations, this will be of great value in the diagnosis of neuromas.

Myelography, CT, MRI and other examinations can detect central nervous system tumors. CT scan helps to understand the central nervous system involvement. Benign neurofibromas are active stage II lesions with no increased absorption on radionuclide scanning but a moderate increase if bone is compressed. Arterial angiography may reveal mild neovascularization, and avascular areas may be seen within the tumor during the late venous phase. Translocation of the great vessels indicates that the tumor originates from compression of the vascular and neural bundles.

Other examinations: It should also be differentiated from other diseases, mainly including tuberous sclerosis, fibrous dysplasia syndrome and syringomyelia. Since the symptoms of these diseases are somewhat similar to those of neurofibroma after occurrence, the disease can only be diagnosed after being differentiated from these diseases.