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Neuroma



Neuroma
Classification & external resources
ICD-O: 9570/0
MeSH D009463

Neuroma originally was defined as a tumor of a nerve. (Neuro- is from the Greek for nerve). Today, neuroma commonly refers to any tumor of cells of the nervous system.[1] though some use the term only to describe tumors of the cell of the nerve and related fibers.[2]

Because of the ambiguity inherent to the term, it is usually better to use a more specific description when possible.

Neuromas can be either benign or malignant.

Contents

Types

Non-tumors

Although the "-oma" suffix usually is usually reserved for tumors, the term "neuroma" is also sometimes used for conditions that are not usually considered tumorous:

  • Traumatic neuroma follows different forms of nerve injury (often as a result of surgery). They occur at the end of injured nerve fibres as a form of uneffective, unregulated nerve regeneration; it occurs most commonly near a scar, either superficially (skin, subcutaneous fat) or deep (e.g., after a cholecystectomy). They are often very painful. It is also known as "pseudoneuroma".[3]
  • Morton's neuroma (a mononeuropathy of the foot) is not considered a tumor in modern sources,[4] and therefore cannot be considered a true neuroma. The name is entrenched, and remains commonly used, but "Morton's metatarsalgia" is more accurate.

True tumors

According to ICD-O and MeSH, the term "Neuroma" refers to a nerve sheath tumor. Subtypes include:

  • Neurinoma (Neurilemmoma) - a benign slow growing tumor of the neurolemma (myelin sheath) of a nerve fibre.

Ganglioneuroma could be considered a type of neuroma, though it is not a nerve sheath tumor.

References

  1. ^ Neuroma at eMedicine Dictionary
  2. ^ n_07/12569500 at Dorland's Medical Dictionary
  3. ^ n_07/12569601 at Dorland's Medical Dictionary
  4. ^ -664076278 at GPnotebook
 
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Neuroma". A list of authors is available in Wikipedia.
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