IMMUNOHISTOCHEMICAL STUDY ON HISTOGENESIS OF CONGENITAL EPULIS AND REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

Congenital epulis is a very rare lesion found only in newborn infants. This tumor is multiple in about 10% of reported cases, rarely with th e simultaneous involvement of the maxilla and mandibula, as in this ar ticle. In the presented case, light microscopy demonstrated large eosi nophilic granular cells arranged in solid nests that are separated by thin fibrovascular areas. The tumors in the maxilla and mandibula were investigated with a panel of polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies, an d using immunoperoxidase methods on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded sections. Immunohistochemical studies revealed strong and diffuse cyto plasmic staining for neuron specific enolase and vimentin. However, al l other reactions were negative. These results suggest that the congen ital epulis may be derived from uncommitted nerve-related mesenchymal cells.