Introduction: The aims of this report are to illustrate the first case of glial and adipose tissue choristoma at the ventral part of the tongue in an elderly patient, to discuss the possible differential diagnoses and to speculate about its pathogenesis.
Case report: A 65-year-old female was admitted to our hospital with a swelling at the base of the tongue. MRI revealed an oval lesion with indistinct borders without contrast enhancement. The patient underwent surgical complete excision and grossly, the specimen consisted of a gray-white mass measuring 25 mm in its great diameter. Microscopically the lesion contained fibrocollagenous stroma, mature adipose tissue and mature astrocytes. In the absence of cellular atypia, mitoses and necrosis a diagnosis of adipose and glial choristoma was performed. The patient is healthy 18 months postoperatively.
Discussion: Choristomas are cohesive tumor-like masses histologically composed by normal tissue occurring in an unusual anatomical location and mainly affecting children during the first years of life. Glial choristomas are considered malformations of the central nervous system and their localization in the tongue is exceptional. However they carry a favourable prognosis so it is of paramount importance to histologically diagnose them correctly.
Keywords: Choristoma; Glial tissue; Tongue.