A Rare Case of Isolated Nasal Neurofibroma Mimicking Sinonasal Polyp

Neurofibromas are benign peripheral nerve sheath tumors which originate from Schwann cells. They are known to occur in extremities as a local manifestation of Von Recklinghausen’s disease i.e. type 1 neurofibromatosis, but isolated neurofibroma occurring in the nasal cavity is a rare entity. Here we report one such case in a 60 year old lady who, presented to us with complaints of difficulty in breathing and a mass protruding from her right nasal cavity. Clinical diagnosis of inverted papilloma was made. Computed tomography suggested a polyp like mass lesion in the right nasal cavity, which was excised in toto by endoscopic endonasal approach. The mass was histologically confirmed to be a neurofibroma. Isolated neurofibroma, even though a rare entity in the nasal cavity should be thought of when history and clinical examination is not classical of other well-known nasal masses like sinonasal polyps or papillomas.