title: Functional reconstruction of epignathus with cleft palate using part of a mature teratoma.
abstract: Epignathus is an extremely rare, benign, congenital teratoma that arises from the oral cavity. When treating epignathus with cleft palate, it is particularly important to consider velopharyngeal function and maxillary growth after surgical repair. The case of an infant with a complete cleft palate and a large mass, histologically diagnosed as a mature teratoma, that protruded from the right soft palate is described. At 8 months of age, a double-opposing Z-plasty was performed using a part of the tumor over the right soft palate that had been left at the time of primary excision at 3 months of age for an epignathus protruding from the mouth. Though all that could be done was suture tumor tissue on the right side and the left hypoplastic levator veli palatine muscle using the double-opposing Z-plasty, velopharyngeal function and maxillary growth were good at 10 years of age.
authors.affiliation: Kanagawa Children’s Medical Center, Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, 232-8555 Mutsukawa 2-138-4, Minami-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan.  shkaki2002@yahoo.co.jp
authors.forename: Shinji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.forename: Mari
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: Yukie
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ohashi
authors.forename: Yukichi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: Jiro
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Maegawa
mesh_terms: D002972:Cleft Palate / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000151:congenital / Q000601:surgery*; D019647:Oral Surgical Procedures; D019651:Plastic Surgery Procedures; D013724:Teratoma / Q000151:congenital / Q000601:surgery*