Objective: To improve the qualitative diagnosis of peripheral nerve sheath tumors by computed tomography (CT). Methods: CT findings of 64 cases of pathologically confirmed nerve sheath tumors were compared with the pathological findings of the tumors. Results: Low density of the tumors shown in plain CT images was related to dominating reticular structure in the tumor as found pathologically. Tumors with intact capsule found by pathological findings were shown with smooth margin in CT images. Inhomogeneous density and enhancement of the tumors in CT images was related to tumor necrosis, liquefaction and cystic degeneration, and inhomogeneous enhancement also involved the reticular structure. Conclusion: Nerve sheath tumors are characterized by distribution along the nerves, lower density than that of muscles in plain CT images, and inhomogeneous enhancement in enhanced CT, which can help differentiate nerve sheath tumors from other soft tissue tumors. When nerve sheath tumors lack distinctive CT features, the diagnoses have to depend on their pathological findings.
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