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.