title: Transoral removal of a large parapharyngeal space neurofibroma with the Harmonic Scalpel.
abstract: We report the case of a 19-year-old man with neurofibromatosis type 1 who presented for evaluation of odynophagia, left-sided hemiparesis, multiple café au lait spots all over his body, and numerous subcutaneous and cutaneous neurofibromas. Imaging revealed the presence of two large neurofibromas-a 60 × 50 × 35-mm tumor in the left parapharyngeal space and an intradural tumor measuring 25 mm in diameter. We removed the larger tumor via a transoral route with the Harmonic Scalpel. The size of this tumor far exceeded the size of any other reported tumor removed in this manner. Various approaches to the parapharyngeal space have been described in the literature. To the best of our knowledge, this case represents the first report of a transoral removal of a huge parapharyngeal space neurofibroma with a Harmonic Scalpel.
authors.affiliation: Department of ENT-Head and Neck Surgery, Clinical Hospital Center Zagreb, Kispaticeva 12, Zagreb 10000, Croatia. mmkavanagh@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Marcel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Marjanović Kavanagh
authors.forename: Zlatko
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Sabol
authors.forename: Saša
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Janjanin
authors.forename: Drago
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Prgomet
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009456:Neurofibromatosis 1 / Q000601:surgery*; D013517:Otorhinolaryngologic Surgical Procedures / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D010610:Pharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D013525:Surgical Instruments; D055815:Young Adult