Epignathus Combined with Cleft Palate

SHIMIZU Masatsugu, OHNISHI Masatoshi, MOMOSE Fumio, YOSHIMASU Hidemi, AMAGASA Teruo

doi:10.11224/cleftpalate1976.19.3_129

Epignathus is a very rare teratoma or double malformation, in which a tumor-like parasite attackes to the palate or base of skull. W e present a case of epignathus; a 4-month-old girl was brought to us by her mother who complained of existence of cleft palate and tumor formation of the palate. On March 6,1975, the epignathus was excised successfully. Its base was located on the upper part of the epipharynx and extended to the septum nasi. The head-like tip of the tumor was covered with white fine soft hairs and the remainder had a skin-like appearance. As excision of the tumor advanced, a tooth germ became visible. The excised tumor was 2× 2 × 4 cm cylindrical. On the whole, the tumor was covered with skin. Histologically, the skin and its structure were characteristic. The excised epignathus consisted of the fatty and fibrous tissues, mainly. The tumors was diagnosed histologically as teratoid malformation.<BR>The postoperative course was uneventful and the patient was discharged and expected to receive palatoplasty. But unfortunately, the girl died of pneumonia at home 8 months after the operation, in November 1975.<BR>From 1962 to 1981, we experienced only this case of epignathus with cleft palate among 3,119 cases with cleft anomalies of the maxillofacial region, during the same period at the Department of Oral & Maxillo-Facial Surgery, Faculty of Dentistry Tokyo Medical and Dental University. The occurrence ratio of this case was calculated as 0.032 % of cleft anomalies and 0.085 % of 1,176 cases with cleft palate alone.

Epignathus Combined with Cleft Palate

Bibliographic Information

Search this article

Abstract

Journal

Citations (3)*help

Keywords

Details 詳細情報について

Export

Report a problem