Large Congenital Granular Cell Tumor in the Newborn—Diagnosis and Management: Case Report and Literature Review

Abstract

The congenital granular cell tumor is a benign soft tissue lesion, unique to the newborn, which originates from the mucosa of the alveolar ridge of the maxillary and mandibular bone in the anterior region. Its diagnosis is made clinically, generally from birth. It is important to learn about this pathology because depending on the size, the tumor can be threatening to the life of the newborn due to mechanical obstruction of the oral cavity, interfering with functions such as swallowing, feeding, proper closure of the oral cavity, and breathing, leading to cyanosis and dyspnea, and being a potential cause of death by asphyxia.

Case Presentation

A 2-day-old girl was in the Neonatology Service, Hospital Nacional de Niños, Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social, for presenting a tumor in the mouth, which was diagnosed by ultrasound in the prenatal period, and for which she was admitted due to possible respiratory distress and clinical deterioration. In her evaluation, a rounded, mobile, fibrous, vascularized lesion of approximately 40 mm × 40 mm was observed, with a wide base adhered to the maxillary alveolar ridge vestibular mucosa. Therefore, it was decided to schedule surgery for excision and biopsy of the tumor. The histopathological study indicated a diagnosis of congenital ulcerated epulis.

Conclusion

The clinical presentation of congenital granular cell tumor, in these case, is impressive due to its size and aggressive appearance, which is important for health professionals to know the characteristics of this benign, rare, and congenital tumor to avoid complications and decide on the procedure to follow.