Signs and symptoms
- Nasopalatine duct cysts usually present as asymptomatic palatal swellings.
- Rarely, they may be accompanied by pain and/or purulent discharge.
Cause and diagnosis
- The cause of nasopalatine duct cysts is thought to be the oronasal ducts present within the incisive canals.
- The cyst requires histological analysis for a definitive diagnosis.
- Radiographically, the cyst appears as a well-demarcated round, ovoid, or heart-shaped structure in the midline of the maxilla.
Treatment
- Nasopalatine duct cysts are generally treated by excision.
Epidemiology
- The nasopalatine cyst is the most common non-odontogenic cyst of the oral cavity.
- It has an estimated occurrence rate of 1%.
References
- Meyer, AW. A unique supernumerary paranasal sinus directly above the superior incisors. J Anat 1914;48:118-129.
- Vasconcelos, RF, et al. Retrospective analysis of 31 cases of nasopalatine duct cyst. Oral Dis 1999;5:325-328.
- Albayram, MS, et al. Radiology quiz case: Nasopalatine duct cyst. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2001;127:1283-1285.
- Gnanasekhar, JD, et al. Misdiagnosis and mismanagement of a nasopalatine duct cyst and its corrective therapy: A case report. Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endod 1995;80:465-470.
- Swanson, KS, et al. Nasopalatine duct cyst: An analysis of 334 cases. J Oral Maxillofac Surg 1991;49:268-271.
The nasopalatine duct cyst (NPDC) occurs in the median of the palate, usually anterior to first molars. It often appears between the roots of the maxillary central incisors. Radiographically, it may often appear as a heart-shaped radiolucency. It is usually asymptomatic, but may sometimes produce an elevation in the anterior portion of the palate. It was first described by Meyer in 1914.
| Nasopalatine duct cyst | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Identical images with heart-shaped radiolucency highlighted in right film. | |
| Specialty | Oral and maxillofacial surgery |
The median palatal cyst has recently been identified as a possible posterior version of the nasopalatine duct cyst.
