Oral cavity & oropharynx
Soft tissue tumors & proliferations
Congenital epulis of newborn
Author: Charu Thakral, M.D.
Last author update: 1 January 2013
Last staff update: 22 August 2022
Copyright: 2002-2023, PathologyOutlines.com, Inc.
PubMed Search: Epulis oral cavity
Table of Contents
Definition / general | Terminology | Sites | Case reports | Clinical images | Gross images | Microscopic (histologic) description | Microscopic (histologic) images | Positive stains | Negative stains | Differential diagnosisCite this page: Thakral C. Congenital epulis of newborn. PathologyOutlines.com website. https://www.pathologyoutlines.com/topic/oralcavityepulis.html. Accessed January 29th, 2023.
Definition / general
- Congenital granular cell tumor of alveolar mucosa of jaw in newborns
- 90% girls; 10% present as multiple lesions
- Doesn't recur, even if incompletely excised
- 0.5 - 2 cm soft, pedunculated mucosal mass
- Spontaneously regresses over first 8 months of life (Am J Surg Pathol 1981;5:37)
Terminology
- Congenital granular cell myoblastoma, granular cell epulis of infancy and granular cell fibroblastoma
Sites
- Exclusively on anterior alveolar ridge of maxilla and mandible, usually overlying future canine and lateral incisor teeth
Case reports
- Newborn girl with 2 cm tumor (Pediatrics 2001;107:E22)
- 2 day old girl with 4 x 2 cm exophytic growth (Pan Afr Med J 2012;12:105)
- 3 week old girl with spontaneous regression (J Med Case Rep 2010;4:331)
Clinical images
Contributed by Dhiraj B. Nikumbh, M.B.B.S., M.D.
2 day old girl with
difficulty eating and
breathing due to
upper jaw lesion
Images hosted on other servers:
Lesion at 3 weeks
Lesion at 16 months
Tumor arising from anterior maxillary alveolus
Gross images
Contributed by Dhiraj B. Nikumbh, M.B.B.S., M.D.
Congenital granular cell tumor
Microscopic (histologic) description
- Confluent to nodular submucosal growth of tumors composed of large polygonal cells with eosinophilic granular cytoplasm and small central nuclei
- Overlying epithelium is atrophic; does NOT show pseudoepitheliomatous hyperplasia (common with granular cell tumor of adults)
Microscopic (histologic) images
Contributed by Dhiraj B. Nikumbh, M.B.B.S., M.D.
Stratified squamous epithelium
Abundant granular eosinophilic cytoplasm
S100
Images hosted on other servers:
Polygonal cells
Positive stains
Differential diagnosis
- Granular cell tumor:
- Adults, infiltrates deep tissues, overlying epithelial hyperplasia
- S100+
- Verruciform xanthoma:
- Adults, overlying papillomatosis
