Anatomico-Clinical, Histologic and Ultrastructural Features of Neurofibromatosis of the Bladder

Anatomico-clinical, histologic and ultrastructural data of a case of neurofibromatosis of the bladder are reported. The principal cells of the neurofibroma appear isolated in the intercellular substance and have thin cytoplasmic processes, vacuoles, microfibrils, dense osmiophilic bodies and occasional ergastoplasmic tubules. Moreover, the presence of intracytoplasmic axons, a basement lamina of thickened amorphous periplasmalemmatic material and cilia support the theory of the Schwann cell origin of these cells. On the basis of these observations, the hypothesis that neurofibroma, in contrast to neurinoma, arises from the Schwann cells of unmyelinated nerve is advanced.