Median palatal cyst. A reminder of palate fusion

The existence of a median palatal cyst has been questioned. Such a lesion would represent an unusual anomaly of a unique embryological process. The radiologic and pathologic criteria necessary to establish such a diagnosis are inconclusive in the ten case reports that have appeared in the English language literature. A median palatal cyst that is distinct from other palatal defects would have specific characteristics that included: 1) a true epithelial-lined cyst; 2) no salivary gland, vascular, or neural elements in the cyst wall; and 3) location in the palate at a distance sufficiently posterior to avoid confusion with structures of the nasal palatine region. We report the findings of a palate lesion excised from a 27-year-old male which by location and histology were consistent only with a median palatal cyst. These data appear to authenticate, for the first time, the median palatal cyst as a distinct pathological entity.