Cerebral heterotopia appearing as an extranasal polyp

Cerebral heterotopia represents a rare tumorlike lesion related in its deve lopment to the encephaloceles but differing from these by non-connection to the cranial cavity. We describe an unusual case of cerebral heterotopia ap pearing as a pedunculated polyp on the upper lip of a newborn. As the disti nction between encephaloceles and cerebral heterotopias is based on the cor relation of radiologic and clinical findings, the surgical treatment of tum orlike lesions of the nasal and pharyngeal region in children requires a ca reful preoperative evaluation of their possible connection to the cranial c avity.