Pharyngeal Hairy Polyps: Five New Cases and Review of the Literature

Abstract

Pharyngeal hairy polyps are rare lesions that present as a pedunculated mass that may arise from the oropharyngeal or nasopharyngeal regions of the pharynx. The mass has the potential to partially or completely obstruct pathways towards the trachea and/or esophagus resulting in respiratory distress and/or feeding difficulties respectively. They have a predilection for female infants of 6:1 with the vast majority of the cases occurring in the infantile period. We report 5 cases of the hairy polyp in female infants, one of which showed unusual presentation since it was diagnosed at ten months of age.

Congenital hairy polyp - a case report

“…This was also noted in our case. A polyp may partially, or completely obstruct the way to the trachea or oesophagus giving the symptoms of the respiratory or gastrointestinal tract [14][15][16] . Depending on the location and size, polyps can give symptoms immediately after birth, but they may also accidentally be discovered in late childhood and exceptionally in adults 1,7 .…”

Hemorrhagic Hairy Polyp Causing Velopharyngeal Dysfunction in a Newborn

“…Hairy polyps are uncommon masses with an incidence of 1 in 40,000 live births and a female-to-male ratio of 6:1 (Budenz et al, 2005; Cone et al, 2012; Yilmaz et al, 2012). Most cases originate from the lateral nasopharyngeal wall or superior surface of the soft palate (Budenz et al, 2005; Cone et al, 2012) and therefore are at risk of causing VPD.…”

“…Hairy polyps are uncommon masses with an incidence of 1 in 40,000 live births and a female-to-male ratio of 6:1 (Budenz et al, 2005; Cone et al, 2012; Yilmaz et al, 2012). Most cases originate from the lateral nasopharyngeal wall or superior surface of the soft palate (Budenz et al, 2005; Cone et al, 2012) and therefore are at risk of causing VPD. Cases of neonatal hairy polyp originating from the oropharynx have been described, including cases originating from the palatopharyngeus (Kelly et al, 1996; Karagama et al, 2003; Shvidler et al, 2007; Christianson et al, 2013).…”

“…Pharyngeal hairy polyps are rare benign congenital masses that can be asymptomatic or may cause intermittent to acute airway obstruction. Possible sites of origin include the nasopharynx, oropharynx, tongue, external auditory canal, and middle ear (Budenz et al, 2005; Cone et al, 2012; Yilmaz et al, 2012). In the oropharynx, hairy polyps originating from the tonsillar fossa, namely, the palatopharyngeus, have been reported (Christianson et al, 2013).…”

Hairy Polyp Arising From the Nasal Vestibule

“…Jung-Hun Kown, MD 1 , and Jae-Hoon Lee, MD 1 A 3-year-old male patient reported with a left nasal mass found at birth. There were no underlying systemic diseases, congenital malformations, or history of nasal surgery.…”