A rare case of a tonsillar neurofibroma in a 28-year-old Caucasian male is presented. Benign tumours of the tonsils are rare and of those reported, only a few are benign peripheral nerve sheath tumours (BPNSTs). This is the first report of a solitary neurofibroma of the palatine tonsil in the English literature.

Neurofibroma of the soft palate, an extremely rare tumour, is probably not yet reported in the literature. We report the first case of an isolated neurofibroma of the soft palate not associated with von Recklinghausen’s disease (VRD), which is also, probably, the first reported case of neurofibroma of the soft palate. The tumour was completely removed from the soft palate after performing tracheostomy, necessitated due to difficulties in intubation.

A case of a female child of six years of age with a plexiform neurofibroma of the larynx caused by von Recklinghausen’s disease is presented. Laryngeal involvement in neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is rare and only 19 paediatric cases have been reported. The tumour was biopsied and lateral pharyngotomy with supraglottic hemilaryngectomy was performed in order to relieve obstructive symptoms. Problems related to this unusual tumour localization are discussed and a review of the literature is presented.

We present a case of neurofibroma of the nasal cavity treated by endoscopic surgery. A 71-year-old female had complained of left-sided nasal obstruction for the past four years. Anterior rhinoscopy, computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed a tumour involving the left nasal cavity. Histological and immunohistochemical examination showed the tumour to be a neurofibroma. The tumour was resected with endoscopic surgery. Neurofibroma arising in the area of the nose and paranasal sinuses is rare. We discuss the clinical and pathological characters of neurofibroma arising in the nasal cavity.

A rare plexiform neurofibroma of the submandibular gland in a patient with neurofibromatosis is presented. The clinical manifestations of the disease are reviewed. The need for early diagnosis of neurofibroma is emphasized because of malignant tranformation.

The development of a neurofibroma in the temporal and parotid regions of the facial nerve is rare. We report a case occurring in a 32-year-old male, where the initial presentation was a parotid mass. Cytologically this was initially thought to be a pleomorphic adenoma. However, the diagnosis was then changed to a schwannoma and finally a neurofibroma after complete excision of the lesion. The case illustrates how fine needle aspiration cytology under ultrasound guidance, and even histological examination of an incision biopsy can sometimes fail to give the correct diagnosis. In this case magnetic resonance imaging was used to help plan definitive surgery.

A case is presented of a 36-year-old male with narrowing of the external meatus due to a diffuse neurofibroma. This unusual variety of neurofibroma spreads superficially and has many ectatic blood vessels. The size, vascularity, uncertain edges and a tendency to recur makes surgical removal difficult. The treatment options are discussed.

Neurofibroma affecting the major salivary gland is uncommon. This tumour is particularly rare in the submandibular and sublingual gland.

Here, a case of solitary plexiform neurofibroma of the submandibular gland without any other manifestations of von Recklinghausen's disease is presented. It is probably the first case report of this tumour invading the submandibular gland in a solitary form.

Plexiform neurofibroma of the larynx is a rare disease. Three cases in children with airway obstruction are presented. After tumour reduction via a lateral pharyngotomy their tracheostomies could be closed. The surgical treatment of plexiform neurofibroma of the superior laryngeal nerve is discussed and conservative, subtotal resection is recommended.

Laryngeal neurofibroma (LNF) is an unusual tumour and only approximately two dozen cases have been reported previously. Isolated LNF not associated with von Recklinghausen's disease is even more unusual. According to a review of the available literature, the case presented is the first bilateral one and the first originating from the ventricles. The tumour was removed completely by microlaryngoscopy without tracheostomy. The macroscopic and light macroscopic findings are presented and a review of the literature on neurogenic tumours in the larynx is presented.

The authors describe a rare case of plexiform neurofibroma of the cervical portion of the vagus nerve, and discuss its aetiopathogenesis, clinical, histological and therapeutic features, emphasizing the difference from other benign tumours of the vagus nerve.

The clinical characteristics of the mass, ultrasound tomography, CT scanning and digital subtraction angiography were useful in defining its extension and relationships with the surrounding structures.

Surgery is the treatment of choice. After mentioning the most commonly employed surgical approaches, they emphasize the advantages of the lateral-cervical approach which allows a wide exposure of the possible sites of origin of the tumour and its complete removal.

Finally they stress the need of an accurate histological and immunohistochemical examination in order to differentiate neurofibromas from neurilemmomas.

This paper is a retrospective study of 15 patients with parapharyngeal neurofibromas operated over a six year period. No patient presented with a neurological deficit. CT scans revealed a well encapsulated moderately enhancing mass in ten cases. The tumour was removed by a transcervical approach in ten cases while in five a cervical-transpharyngeal route with mandibulotomy was used; in three of the latter group the tumour was retropharyngeal. In two cases a recurrence was successfully excised. It was realized that a mandibulotomy was required when the internal carotid was displaced medially, or if the tumour extended to the base of skull or when its vertical diameter exceeded 8 cm.