Small Bowel Obstruction Due to Gastrointestinal Neurofibromas and Lipomas

Abstract

The most known manifestation of neurofibromatosis Recklinghausen NF-1 is cafe-au-lait spots on the skin, but up to 25% of patients with NF-1 have gastrointestinal manifestations, and only 5% of the gastrointestinal manifestations of NF-1 will require surgical treatment. We report a rare case of a 73-year-old woman, who five times earlier has undergone bowel resection, due to intussusception and ileus. The patient was admitted to the hospital due to abdominal pain. A computed tomography scan showed progression of the almost disseminated tumor growth of neurofibromas and lipomas of the small intestinal wall. Clinical manifestions showed the ileus required an operative treatment with a sixth small bowel resection. Small bowl obstruction caused by neurofibromas is a rare manifestation of a rare disease.




J Med Cases. 2014;5(1):1-3
doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.4021/jmc1579w