So-called hairy polyps or teratoid tumors of the nasopharynx

Two new cases of hairy polyp of the nasopharynx, one with congenital atresia of the left carotid artery, are added to 111 cases that have already been reported. Unlike trigerminal neoplastic teratomas, the hairy polyps are derived from two germ cells, the ectoderm and mesoderm. They are composed of a conglomeration of disorganized and disorderly tissues that form a sessile to a pedunculated mass that is attached to the nasopharynx. They are strictly developmental anomalies in early embryogenesis with very limited growth potential. We discuss their clinical features, diagnosis, and development. In an evaluation of any nasopharyngeal mass in the newborn, consideration should be given as to whether the mass arises in the nasopharynx or is an extracranial extension of glioma or encephalocele.