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Benign peripheral nerve tumors, although infrequent, must be considered as a possible cause of pain and disability in the extremities. There are three varieties of these tumors that are of clinical importance : neurilemmomas, neurofibromas, and post-traumatic neuroma. Neurilemmomas are the most common primary solitary tumor of the peripheral nerve trunks. and are almost always benign. Neurofibromas may occur as a solitary nerve tumor. but can present as multiple lesions as in von Recklinghausen´s disease. Clinically, this tumor may presents as a solitary mass in the subcutaneous tissue which is centrally located with the nerve fibers traveling through the tumor mass. Traumatic neuroma is the proliferation of nerve elements with connective-tissue during the process of regeneration from severed nerves undergoing Wallerian degeration. and is therefore not a true neoplasm. A neuroma-in-countinuity is the result of partial severance of a nerve, or of a crushing or traction injury in which allor part of the epineurium and perineurium is intact. We experienced each of the three varieties. With magnification, the neurilemmoma was removed by meticulous dissection from the parent nerve preserving the normal fascicles to which it was attached. The neurofibroma was excised and the nerve was reconstructed with interposed vein graft and the neuroma-in-continuity was excised and reconstructed with sural nerve graft. We report histologic characteristics of each tumors and the methods to repair the nerve defects after tumor excision with brief discussion.
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