Home > Encyclopedia of Children's Health > Neurofibromatosis

Definition

Neurofibromatosis (NF) is a genetic disease in which multiple soft tumors (neurofibromas) develop under the skin and throughout the nervous system. Various sized tumors may grow on the nerves in or leading away from the brain and spinal cord (peripheral nerves) and in the vascular system (veins and arteries) and other organ systems. There are two types of NF: NF-1, also called vonRecklinghausen NF, and NF-2, also called acoustic NF (sometimes bilateral acoustic NF or BAN). NF-1 is more common, representing 90 percent of all cases, while NF-2 is diagnosed in 10 percent of NF cases.

Description

Neural crest cells are primitive cells that are present as part of the nervous system during fetal development. These cells eventually turn into the following:

• cells that...