Embolization of a hemorrhaging abdominal plexiform neurofibroma

Abstract

In rare instances, neurofibromas may spontaneously bleed. In this case, a 21-year-old woman with a known cutaneous neurofibroma presented with a rapidly enlarging right abdominal wall mass. After embolization of a focal pseudoaneurysm and the right internal mammary artery, her hemoglobin continued to decline. The right internal mammary artery and inferior epigastric artery were then embolized. The patient eventually underwent mass resection, hematoma evacuation, and flap reconstruction. Final surgical pathology confirmed the expected diagnosis of plexiform neurofibroma. The Schwann cells of plexiform neurofibromas, present in approximately 50% of patients with neurofibromatosis-1, have invasive and angiogenic properties, often resulting in hemorrhage.