We report a rare case of nasopharyngeal neuroglial heterotopia in a 16-year-old girl who presented with sore throat and feeling of a lump in her throat. Neuroglial heterotopia is a mass composed of misplaced neural tissue during embryonic development which has lost its intracranial connection. A careful review of literature in PUBMED shows most of the previously reported cases of nasopharyngeal glial heterotopia presented during neonatal or infancy period with symptoms of respiratory distress or airway obstruction. Our case caused a diagnostic dilemma due to late presentation and atypical radiological findings. Imaging, especially MRI, is vital for evaluating such nasopharyngeal masses in children for pre-surgical planning and more importantly to rule out any intracranial communication. Treatment is surgical resection by endoscopic or external approach, with a rare possibility of recurrence.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.