Post-traumatic glomus tumor of the left anterior supraclavicular nerve: a case report

• Published in: Neurological research (New York) 2023-05, Vol.45 (5), p.435-439
• Main Authors: Turrini, Alessandra, Staffa, Guido, Rossi, Giulio, Capone, Crescenzo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Cervical Plexus - diagnostic imaging; Cervical Plexus - pathology; glomangioma; glomangiomyoma; Glomus tumor; Glomus Tumor - complications; Glomus Tumor - diagnostic imaging; Glomus Tumor - surgery; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Neuroma - diagnostic imaging; Neuroma - surgery; Pain; peripheral nerve tumor; Peripheral Nervous System Neoplasms - complications; Peripheral Nervous System Neoplasms - diagnostic imaging; Peripheral Nervous System Neoplasms - surgery; traumatic neuroma
• ISSN: 0161-6412; 1743-1328
• DOI: 10.1080/01616412.2022.2151163

Peripheral nerve glomus tumors are extremely rare and occur with typical symptoms of peripheral neuropathic pain. Clinicians hardly consider this entity when faced with the swelling of a peripheral nerve and the diagnosis is reached only with histological examination. Nerves of limbs are usually affected and the solid glomus tumor is the most frequent histological variant. A 55-year-old man presented with a glomus tumor of the anterior supraclavicular nerve of the left cervical plexus, misdiagnosed clinically and radiologically as neuroma. Despite the preoperative suspicion and the intraoperative appearance, the histological examination revealed a glomus tumor with a prevalent muscular component, a glomangiomyoma. Once the tumor was removed, pain regressed completely. Because of its rarity, pre-operative diagnosis of glomus tumors is still a challenge, especially when arising from peripheral nerves. In the presence of chronic localized neuroma-type pain and sensitivity, glomus tumors should be considered in the pool of differential diagnosis, even if the imaging is not conclusive.