Multinodular versus plexiform neurilemoma of the hard palate. Report of a case.

Neurilemoma (schwannoma) is the most commonly encountered nerve sheath tumor of the oral cavity. It generally appears as a single encapsulated nodule that occasionally causes pain or discomfort. The tongue is involved most frequently, followed by the palate, floor of mouth, and buccal mucosa. Neurilemomas occur most often during the second or third decades of life. Our patient is a 21-year-old woman with a recurrence of a palatal mass that was excised 3 years earlier. Histologically the lesion appeared to be a multinodular neurilemoma, a pattern rarely reported in the oral cavity.