[Epulis in a newborn. histogenetic comparison with a granular cell tumor in adults]

The congenital granular cell tumor is a rare lesion of newborns located on the alveolar ridge with a marked predilection for female infants. Histologically these tumors are characterized by large eosinophilic granular cells, similar to granular cell tumors in adults which are often seen as Abrikossoff tumors. Immunohistochemical studies revealed the different histogenesis and evolution of both these tumor entities. We report on a female newborn infant with a congenital epulis of the left anterior maxillary alveolar ridge. This case demonstrates a rare congenital tumor of newborns and reveals the histogenetic differences to granular cell tumors in adults.