Neurofibromas in otorhinolaryngology. Literature review presentation of a rare clinical case of intramastoid solitary neurofibroma

Neurofibromas are precancerous neoplasms originating from the sheaths of peripheral nerves with a slow growth rate. A large proportion of cases (90%) are solitary tumors, while the rest (10%) are associated with the manifestation of neurofibromatosis type 1 (Morbus Recklinghausen) - an autosomal dominant genetic inherited disease. This type of tumor is relatively rare in the head and neck region. It involves mainly the skin and subcutaneous tissue of the trunkus, and represents about 5% of all benign soft tissue neoplasms. In the available english articles 22 cases of intratemporal solitary neurofibroma have been reported of which only 2 were intramastoid. We present a rare clinical case of a solitary intramastoid neurofibroma in a 39-year-old woman mimicking the clinical representation of latent mastoiditis with a brief literature review.