Utility of MRI neurography in neurofibromatosis type I: Case example and review of MRI neurography literature

BACKGROUND: Neurofibromatosis is an autosomal dominant disorder of the nerves, resulting in café-au-lait spots, axillary freckling, macules, and neurofibromas throughout the nervous system. Diagnosis of this condition has in the past been mainly clinical, but the usage of magnetic resonance imaging neurography (MRN) is a new diagnostic modality. Here, we report on a case of neurofibromatosis type I (NF-1) that was diagnosed using MRN after a protracted clinical course. CASE DESCRIPTION: A 23-year-old female presented with several months of worsening right upper and lower quadrant abdominal pain. The patient underwent computed tomography (CT) of the abdomen and pelvis demonstrating multiple neurofibromas involving the psoas muscle and mesentery of the lower abdomen. Subsequent total neuronal axis magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) using the neurography protocol (MRN) showed multiple neurofibromas in both the right brachial plexus and lumbar plexus. CONCLUSION: We present a case of NF-1 that was diagnosed using MRN following a protracted clinical course. MRN is a diagnostic modality for NF-1 and other peripheral nerve disorders.