Oral cavity & oropharynx
Soft tissue, neural & uncertain origin tumors
Congenital granular cell epulis
Author: Charu Thakral, M.D.
Topic Completed: 1 January 2013
Minor changes: 13 October 2020
Copyright: 2002-2021, PathologyOutlines.com, Inc.
PubMed Search: Epulis[TI] oral cavity[mh]
Table of Contents
Definition / general | Terminology | Sites | Case reports | Clinical images | Gross images | Microscopic (histologic) description | Microscopic (histologic) images | Positive stains | Negative stains | Electron microscopy images | Differential diagnosisCite this page: Thakral C. Congenital granular cell epulis. PathologyOutlines.com website. https://www.pathologyoutlines.com/topic/oralcavityepulis.html. Accessed March 8th, 2021.
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
Mass protruding from mouth
Gross images
Contributed by Dhiraj B. Nikumbh, M.B.B.S., M.D.
Congenital granular cell tumor
Images hosted on other servers:
Homogenous appearance
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 with granular cytoplasm and small round nuclei
Meshwork of delicate blood vessels
Positive stains
Electron microscopy images
Images hosted on other servers:
Granules and lysosomes
Differential diagnosis
- Granular cell tumor: adults, infiltrates deep tissues, overlying epithelial hyperplasia, S100+
- Verruciform xanthoma: adults, overlying papillomatosis
