gms | German Medical Science

72. Jahrestagung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Neurochirurgie (DGNC)
Joint Meeting mit der Polnischen Gesellschaft für Neurochirurgie

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Neurochirurgie (DGNC) e. V.

06.06. - 09.06.2021

Article

Send article

Peripheral nerve tumours – difficult to diagnose?

Periphere Nerventumore – schwierig zu diagnostizieren?

Meeting Abstract

Search Medline for

  • presenting/speaker Oliver Gembruch - Universitätsklinikum Essen, Klinik für Neurochirurgie, Essen, Deutschland
  • Mehdi Chihi - Universitätsklinikum Essen, Klinik für Neurochirurgie, Essen, Deutschland
  • Thiemo Florin Dinger - Universitätsklinikum Essen, Klinik für Neurochirurgie, Essen, Deutschland
  • Yahya Ahmadipour - Universitätsklinikum Essen, Klinik für Neurochirurgie, Essen, Deutschland
  • Ramazan Jabbarli - Universitätsklinikum Essen, Klinik für Neurochirurgie, Essen, Deutschland
  • Ulrich Sure - Universitätsklinikum Essen, Klinik für Neurochirurgie, Essen, Deutschland
  • Karsten Henning Wrede - Universitätsklinikum Essen, Klinik für Neurochirurgie, Essen, Deutschland
  • Anne-Kathrin Uerschels - Universitätsklinikum Essen, Klinik für Neurochirurgie, Essen, Deutschland

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Neurochirurgie. 72. Jahrestagung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Neurochirurgie (DGNC), Joint Meeting mit der Polnischen Gesellschaft für Neurochirurgie. sine loco [digital], 06.-09.06.2021. Düsseldorf: German Medical Science GMS Publishing House; 2021. DocP225

doi: 10.3205/21dgnc507, urn:nbn:de:0183-21dgnc5071

Published: June 4, 2021

© 2021 Gembruch et al.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. See license information at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

Outline

Text

Objective: Peripheral nerve tumors are rare and sometimes difficult to diagnose. Despite recent advances in diagnostic tools and the more commonly use of ultrasound, MRI and electrophysiology, time until diagnosis of peripheral nerve tumors is quite long and they can be mistreated prior to diagnosis.

We therefore tried to analyze the frequency of misdiagnosed patients, treated as a spinal canal stenosis or a disc herniation.

Methods: Retrospective evaluation of patients treated in our department due to a peripheral nerve tumor between 2012 until 2018. Demographic, neurological symptoms, initial diagnosis, time of “false” treatment were analyzed.

Results: In total, 116 patients were treated (60 female, mea age: 50.3 ± 15.3 years of age). 43 neurinoma (37.1%), 18 neurofibroma (15.5%), 17 ganglioma (14.7%) 9 lipoma (7.8%) and 4 perineurioma (3.4%) analyzed. Peroneal nerve (n=21), sciatic nerve (n=11), ulnar nerve (n=11) and tibial nerve (n=10) were the most affected locations. First symptom was mainly pain (49.1%) followed by palpable lesion (27.6%).

False diagnosis and false treatment prior to diagnostic of a peripheral nerve tumor were seen in 26 patients (22.4%). Misdiagnosis was not significantly affected by the tumor (p=0.149) or the location of the tumor (p=0.233). False diagnose was detected in patients suffering from pain as the first symptom in majority (17/26, p=0.0001).

Conclusion: Symptoms of peripheral nerve tumors can easily be misinterpreted, mimicking degenerative spinal diseases, especially if pain is the first symptom.