Hoffa's Fat Pad-associated Solitary Neurofibroma as the Cause of Anterior Knee Pain: A Case Report.

INTRODUCTION

Infrapatellar peripheral neural tumors, particularly neurofibromas, are rather rare entities reported in the literature. They are slow-growing lesions that usually do not exhibit clinical manifestations other than interspecific swelling or pain; hence, their diagnosis can be quite challenging. Therefore, scrutiny should include not only traditional clinical assessment and imaging but also more specific molecular biology techniques, such as immunohistochemistry.

CASE REPORT

We present the clinical, imaging, histological, and immunohistochemical features of a unique case of solitary neurofibromain a 33-year-old female presenting chronic anterior knee pain. The tumor was completely removed through a surgical approach.

CONCLUSIONS

Although cases of a solitary neurofibroma originating within Hoffa's fat pad are extremely rare; the entity should be considered in the differential diagnosis when symptomatology is not alleviated with appropriate treatments.