View source for Neuroma

{{Short description|Benign tumor composed of nerve tissue}}
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| caption         = Solitary circumscribed neuroma
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A '''neuroma''' ({{IPAc-en|nj|ʊəˈr|oʊ|m|ə}}; plural: '''neuromata''' or '''neuromas''') is a growth or [[tumor]] of [[nerve]] tissue.<ref name=Dorlands>{{cite encyclopedia|encyclopedia=Dorland's Illustrated Medical Dictionary| edition=32nd| title=Neuroma | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mNACisYwbZoC&pg=PT5287|access-date=25 August 2013| year=2011| publisher=Oxford University Press| isbn=978-1-4557-0985-4 |page=5287}}</ref>  Neuromas tend to be [[benign tumor|benign]] (i.e. not [[malignant|cancerous]]); many [[Nervous tissue#Tumours|nerve tumors]], including those that are commonly [[malignant]], are nowadays referred to by other terms.

Neuromas can arise from different types of [[nervous tissue]], including the [[nerve fibers]] and their [[neurolemma|myelin sheath]], as in the case of genuine [[neoplasms]] (growths) like [[ganglioneuroma]]s and [[neurinoma]]s.

The term is also used to refer to any swelling of a nerve, even in the absence of abnormal [[cell growth]]. In particular, [[traumatic neuroma]] results from trauma to a nerve, often during a surgical procedure. [[Morton's neuroma]] affects the foot.
Neuromas can be painful, or sometimes, as in the case of [[acoustic neuroma]]s, can give rise to other symptoms.

== Neoplasms ==
* [[Acoustic neuroma]] -  a slow-growing,  benign tumor of the  [[acoustic nerve]].<ref name=NHS-Choices>{{cite web |url=http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Acoustic-neuroma/Pages/Introduction.aspx |title=Acoustic Neuroma |work=[[NHS Choices]] |access-date=30 August 2013}}</ref> Symptoms, which most often start after the age of 30, can include [[dizziness]], [[headache]], [[vertigo]], [[Balance disorder|loss of balance]], [[Tinnitus|ringing sensations]], and [[numbness]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Acoustic neuroma|url=https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/acoustic-neuroma/symptoms-causes/syc-20356127|website=Mayo Clinic |access-date=13 July 2024}}</ref>
* [[Ganglioneuroma]] - a tumor of the [[sympathetic nerve]] [[nerve fiber|fibers]] arising from [[neural crest cell]]s.<ref name="MedlinePlus">{{cite web | url = https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001437.htm | title = Ganglioneuroma | first = Kenneth | last = Gross | date = 2006-09-25 | access-date = 2007-05-09}}</ref>
* Pacinian neuroma - a very rare, painful, benign [[hyperplastic]] tumor of [[Pacinian corpuscles]] ([[mechanoreceptor]]s responsible for sensitivity to [[vibration]] and [[pressure]]), sometimes linked to a history of local [[Trauma (medicine)|trauma]].<ref name=Zanardi-2011>{{cite journal |vauthors=Zanardi F, Cooke RM, Maiorana A, Curti S, Farioli A, Bonfiglioli R, Violante FS, Mattioli S |title="Is this case of a very rare disease work-related?" A review of reported cases of Pacinian neuroma |journal=Scand J Work Environ Health |volume=37 |issue=3 |pages=253–8 |year=2011 |pmid=21082159 |doi= 10.5271/sjweh.3132|url=http://www.sjweh.fi/download.php?abstract_id=3132&file_nro=1|doi-access=free |hdl=11380/738485 |hdl-access=free }}</ref>

== Other nerve swellings ==
Some of the benign varieties of neuroma, in the broadest sense of the term, are  not [[neoplasm]]s.
* [[Traumatic neuroma]] follows different forms of nerve injury (often as a result of surgery). They occur at the end of injured nerve fibres as a form of ineffective, unregulated nerve regeneration; it occurs most commonly near a scar, either superficially (skin, subcutaneous fat) or deep (e.g., after a [[cholecystectomy]]). They are often very painful. Synonyms include scar neuroma, amputation neuroma, or pseudoneuroma.
* [[Morton's neuroma]] (a [[mononeuropathy]] of the foot) is another example of the more general usage of the term ''neuroma''.  Some prefer the term "Morton's [[metatarsalgia]]", thus avoiding the term ''neuroma'' and its association with tumors.<ref>{{Cite GPnotebook|-664076278|Morton's metatarsalgia}}</ref>

==Etymology==
The stem ''neuro-'' originates from the Greek word for ''nerve'' (νεῦρον), while the suffix ''-oma'' (-ωμα) denotes ''swelling''.<ref name=OED>{{OED|neuroma}}</ref>  The stem does not imply that neuromas necessarily arise from [[neuron]]s; neuromas generally arise from non-neuronal nerve tissues. The word was originally used to refer to any nerve tumor, but its meaning has evolved.<ref name=OED/>

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{{Nervous tissue tumors}}
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[[Category:Neurological disorders]]
[[Category:Nervous system neoplasia]]