Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Case Reports
. 2019 Feb 8:8:Doc03.
doi: 10.3205/iprs000129. eCollection 2019.

Painful Vater-Pacini neuroma of the digit in neurofibromatosis type 1

Reinhard E Friedrich  1 , Christian Hagel  2
Affiliations
Case Reports

Painful Vater-Pacini neuroma of the digit in neurofibromatosis type 1

Reinhard E Friedrich et al. GMS Interdiscip Plast Reconstr Surg DGPW. .

Abstract
in English, German

Vater-Pacini neuromas are rare causes of severe pain in the phalanges. The cause of this change in the tactile corpuscles is unknown. A traumatic cause has been plausibly demonstrated, at least in some cases. Here, the rare occurrence of a Vater-Pacini neuroma in a patient with neurofibromatosis type 1 is reported. The discussion addresses the difficulties of terminology and current diagnostic procedures for differentiating small nodular masses of the palm and digits. The surgical treatment leads to rapid relief of the symptoms.

Vater-Pacini Neurome sind seltene Ursachen heftiger Schmerzen in den Phalangen. Die Ursache dieser Veränderung der Tastkörperchen ist unbekannt. Eine traumatische Ursache ist zumindest für einige Fälle plausibel aufgezeigt worden. Das bisher sehr selten berichtete Auftreten eines Vater-Pacini-Neuroms bei einer Patientin mit Neurofibromatose Typ 1 wird berichtet. Die Diskussion geht auf die Schwierigkeiten der Terminologie und aktuelle diagnostische Verfahren zur Differenzierung nodulärer Raumforderungen der Handfläche und Finger ein. Die operative Behandlung führt zur raschen Linderung der Beschwerden.

Keywords: Pacinian neuroma; Vater-Pacini corpuscle; finger; neurofibroma; neurofibromatosis type 1.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Photograph showing left small finger. Arrow indicates triggering point of painful sensation on pressure.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Illustration of the left hand on magnetic resonance images (MRI). The small, rounded lesions recorded in T1- and T2-weighted images were considered to be disseminated neurofibromas.
Figure 3
Figure 3. Histological appearance of Vater-Pacini neuroma type B comprising a grape like cluster of VP corpuscles embedded in adipose and connective tissue. Note that neurofibroma is present. H&E stain, scale 500 µm.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Plotkin SR, Wick A. Neurofibromatosis and Schwannomatosis. Semin Neurol. 2018;38(1):73–85. doi: 10.1055/s-0038-1627471. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Von Recklinghausen FD. Über die multiplen Fibrome der Haut und ihre Beziehung zu den multiplen Neuromen. Berlin: Hirschwald; 1882. - PubMed
    1. Khosrotehrani K, Bastuji-Garin S, Riccardi VM, Birch P, Friedman JM, Wolkenstein P. Subcutaneous neurofibromas are associated with mortality in neurofibromatosis 1: a cohort study of 703 patients. Am J Med Genet A. 2005;132A(1):49–53. doi: 10.1002/ajmg.a.30394. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Schulz A, Grafe P, Hagel C, Bäumer P, Morrison H, Mautner VF, Farschtschi S. Neuropathies in the setting of neurofibromatosis tumor syndromes: Complexities and opportunities. Exp Neurol. 2018 Jan;299(Pt B):334–344. doi: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2017.06.006. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Yan S, Horangic NJ, Harris BT. Hypertrophy of pacinian corpuscles in a young patient with neurofibromatosis. Am J Dermatopathol. 2006;28(3):202–204. doi: 10.1097/00000372-200606000-00004. - DOI - PubMed

Publication types