Neurofibromatosis type 1 and small bowel bleeding: Case report and literature review

Abstract

Neurofibromatosis type 1, also known as von Recklinghausen disease, is an inherited neurocutaneous disorder with gastrointestinal involvement in 5-25% of patients, with only 5% being symptomatic; it develops following cutaneous manifestations and mostly affects the jejunum. The symptoms include abdominal pain, intestinal obstruction, perforation, diarrhea, palpable mass and high or low gastrointestinal bleeding. The following report presents the case of a woman with manifest gastrointestinal bleeding secondary to plexiform neurofibromas in the jejunum, as well as a brief review of the literature on gastrointestinal involvement.

Keywords

• Neurofibromatosis 1
• Hemorragia gastrointestinal
• Melena
• Yeyuno