Surgical treatment for esophageal neurofibroma: report of two cases and review of literature

Background Neurofibroma of the esophagus, originated from the nerve sheath cells and fibroblasts of the esophageal submucosal plexus or the intestinal intermuscular plexus, is a very rare mesenchymal tumor. Most of the cases are treated by surgical methods. Due to the technical complexity of video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS), there are few reports in the literature of VATS for esophageal neurofibroma in recent years. Case presentation We report on two rare cases of esophageal neurofibroma, one of which is a 52-year-old male patient diagnosed with a 4.6 x 5.7 cm upper esophageal submucosal tumor in physical examination. He was admitted to our hospital and the tumor was enucleated by VATS combined with intraoperative endoscopy. There were no complications after operation, and the patients was discharged on the 16th postoperative day. The other patient was a 76-year-old man, with the main clinical manifestation of dysphagia for over 1 year, diagnosed with an 8.0 x 6.0 x 8.0 cm giant subepithelial mass in the lower esophagus. As the intraoperative exploration revealed the tumor connected tightly with the wall of the esophagus, this patient treated by transthoracic partial esophagectomy. The patient was discharged on the 14th postoperative day, and no signs of post-operative complication during the 53-month follow-up. The diagnosis of esophageal neurofibroma was based on these patients' postoperative pathological examination. In the latest follow-up, these two patients had no evidence of long-term postoperative complication and recurrence. Conclusion This is the first reported case of 5 cm in diameter esophageal neurofibroma treated by VATS. This technique can be a commendable treatment option for esophageal neurofibroma, and the tumor diameter is not an absolute contraindication for thoracoscopy. To reduce the unnecessary damage, surgical method for complete tumor resection needs to be determined according to preoperative imaging and intraoperative conditions, partial esophagectomy can be performed via thoracotomy or thoracoscopy for removing neurofibroma when necessary.