Oligodendroglioma arising in heterotopic brain tissue of the soft palate and nasopharynx.

A child with heterotopic brain tissue in her soft palate and nasopharynx is presented. Within the mass there was a small oligodendroglioma. Eighteen previous cases of heterotopic brain tissue in the nasopharynx and soft palate are also reviewed. These differ from nasal gliomas in that the latter do not contain ependyma, choroid plexus, retinal components, or neoplastic tissue. Both nasal gliomas and heterotopic brain tissue in the soft palate and nasopharynx are believed to result from embryonic brain trapped in inappropriate areas during development.