PHARYNGEAL DERMOIDS (HAIRY POLYPS) AS ACCESSORY AURICLES

The purpose of this study is to clarify the origin and nature of so-ca lled hairy polyps or dermoids of the pharynx, which are often thought to be a variant of pharyngeal teratoma. For this purpose, a case is re ported of a dermoid polyp involving the middle ear of an infant, the f eatures of multiple examples of pharyngeal dermoid polyps and teratoma s received for consultation by the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology are examined, and selected pertinent reports from the literature are reviewed. All three means are used to support the conclusion that thes e lesions are choristomatous developmental anomalies arising from the first branchial cleft area and that they essentially represent heterot opic accessory ''ears'' (auricles) without the growth potential of a t eratoma.