CO2 Laser Ablation for the Manifestations of Multiple Cutaneous Neurofibromas in an Adult with Neurofibromatosis Type 1(NF1)

Abstract

Introduction: Neurofibromatosis type 1 is a rare genetic disorder that is characterized by the growth of noncancerous neurocutaneous tumors that form near the spinal cord and along the peripheral nerves in the body. Symptoms NF-1 are usually detected in infancy or early childhood. However, in some cases, children and adults without family history may have a spontaneous genetic mutation of unknown cause. There are several modalities to treat NF-1, which include conventional surgery removal and CO2 laser ablation. The review of literature aims to compare the efficacy and outcomes of these two modalities.
 Case presentation: A 32-year old post-partum Australian woman is presented to the neurosurgery department outpatient clinic. When she was around 20-year old, non-painful multiple noncancerous growth along her spine and peripheral nerves and multiple café-au-lait spots started to appear. The size and numbers of growth and spots are gradually increasing as she aged. The diagnosis of NF-1 was made according to the presence of four of the seven diagnostic criteria of the National Institute of Health Consensus Development Conference. Patient is scheduled to go to NF clinic 2 months after the meeting, in which the patient is planned to undergo a treatment of CO2 laser ablation.
 Conclusions: Studies have shown that CO2 has outperformed conventional surgery in managing the clinical manifestation of NF-1 in term of effectivity and cosmetic outcomes.
 Keywords: neurofibromatosis type I, von Recklinghausen’s disease, adult, post-partum woman, CO2 laser ablation