Involvement of the nerve fibers in the human skin neurofibromatosis

Neurofibromatosis type 2 is a well known disease of the human skin. Its microscopic and ultramicroscopic features are also well defined. Aim: The aim of this work was to study the involvement of catecholaminergic nerve fibers in the human skin neurofibromatosis. Bioptic fragments of the human skin have been harvested from healthy and diseased subjects. On these specimens the following analysis were performed: 1) light microscopic observation after colouring with hematoxyline-Eosine. 2) Immunochemical staining for Protein Gene Product 9.5. 3) Fluorescent staining for catecholaminergic nerve fibers. 4) Quantitative analysis of images by means of the Quantimet analyzer Leica. 5) Statistical analysis of the quantitative morphological data comparing the healthy with diseased subjects. Comparing the light microscopy images in normal and pathological subjects the authors can affirm that the skin neurofibromatosis induces a strong decrease of the nerve fibers cutted in small pieces and destroyed. Also the catecholaminergic nerve fibers are strongly reduced and destroyed. Quantitative analysis of images and statistical analysis of the morphological data confirm that neurofibromatosis induces strong changes of the skin nerve fibers. The authors' results confirm that the neurofibromatosis type 2 induces an almost total destruction of the skin nerve fibers.