Heterotopic brain tissue of the soft palate

Case series of congenital heterotopic neuroglial tissue in the parapharyngeal space

Cases of congenital heterotopic tissue presenting in the head and neck are frequent in the pediatric otolaryngology literature. Heterotopic glioneuronal tissue is rare and fewer than 20 cases of heterotopic glioneuronal tissue in the parapharyngeal space have been reported. We present two cases of infant children who were seen at the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh in 2013 with glioneuronal heterotopic masses in the parapharyngeal space.

Parapharyngeal neuroglial heterotopia in Pierre Robin sequence: MR imaging findings

Heterotopic neuroglial tissue is a rare lesion, occurring more frequently in the nasal cavities. Other rare locations are the orbit, the scalp, the palate, the pharynx, the parapharyngeal space and the lungs. They are usually detected occasionally because they are often asymptomatic, but sometimes they might present with dyspnoea, feeding difficulty, snorting and nasal flaring. Respiratory symptoms occur when heterotopic neuroglial tissue is located in the parapharyngeal space. We report a case of an infant affected by Pierre Robin sequence (PRS) who was admitted to our Institution for a worsening respiratory distress that was not explainable only by PRS.

Glial choristoma of the tongue: a case report and review of the literature

Heterotopic brain tissue is an extremely rare developmental malformation. It is considered to be one of the very rare choristomatous lesions involving the oral cavity. We present a case of glial choristoma located on the dorsal surface of the tongue, midline area, in an 8-month-old African-American female baby. The clinical, histologic, and immunohistochemical features are presented. In addition, a review of previously reported cases and their probable embryogenesis are analyzed.