Painful pediatric traumatic neuroma: surgical management and clinical outcomes

Painful neuromas can limit function and decrease quality of life. Although management of traumatic neuromas in adults is well represented in the literature, traumatic neuromas are seen less frequently in children and adolescents, and their management is underrepresented in the literature. We present a sample of our clinical experience with painful pediatric neuromas and describe the surgical management and clinical outcomes of these cases. A retrospective case review was conducted on patients treated at our pediatric tertiary care center. The same surgeon was responsible for management and follow-up of all patients. The sample of five patients was 60 % female and had a mean age of 12.2 (3-16) years. Each case was managed using a different surgical technique. All the patients had acceptable outcomes with a mean post-operative pain score of 0.4 (0-2) out of 10 and no residual functional outcomes. It is important for clinicians to recognize that pediatric patients develop painful neuromas following nerve trauma and to understand the neurophysiologic basis for their management. Our report demonstrates that many of the techniques that we use for neuroma repair in adults are applicable in the pediatric population.