Pathology · patient case question
Normal tissue found in an abnormal location is termed:
Patient case: Two white lesions and a brown one
demo: Three patients seen in one session
chief: Assorted mucosal lesions identified during routine examination.
history: The first is a 24-year-old with a lifelong asymptomatic finding whose brother has the same appearance. The second is a 41-year-old with bilateral buccal findings. The third is a 52-year-old who has chewed betel nut for twenty years.
meds: None relevant.
findings: Patient one has a diffuse, thick, spongy, folded white lesion of the floor of the mouth and buccal mucosa that does not rub off. Patient two has a diffuse blue-grey filmy opacity of both buccal mucosae that fades when the cheek is stretched. Patient three has brownish-red clustered staining of the buccal mucosa near teeth 18 and 19 with a marbled pallor and reduced mouth opening.
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: D. A choristoma
- A. Hyperplasia is an increase in cell number in response to a stimulus, in the correct location.
- B. A teratoma contains tissue from more than one germ layer and is a true neoplasm.
- C. A hamartoma is disorganised overgrowth of tissue that is native to the site, for example a haemangioma or an odontoma.
- D. Correct. A choristoma is histologically normal tissue in a site where it does not belong. The oral examples are the osseous and cartilaginous choristomas of the tongue and Fordyce granules, which are sebaceous glands in the buccal mucosa where no skin exists.