What type of study is this?

This is a Case Report study (also classified as: Systematic Review).

What question did this study set out to answer?

To report a rare case of delayed nasal glioma diagnosis and evaluate its clinical features through a literature review.

May 7, 2026Surgeries0 citationsOpen Access

Delayed Presentation of Nasal Glioma—Case Report and Literature Review

PKPrabhpreet KaurNational University of Singapore YWYilong WuKK Women's and Children's Hospital HTHenry K.K. TanKK Women's and Children's Hospital

Key Points

To report a rare case of delayed nasal glioma diagnosis and evaluate its clinical features through a literature review.
Case report of a 2-year-old male with an intranasal mass causing obstructive apnea.
Neuroimaging performed to assess paranasal sinuses and demonstrate a defect in the cribriform plate.
Surgical intervention involved craniotomy, excision of the lesion, and skull base repair.
A systematic literature review was conducted following PRISMA guidelines.
Nasal glioma more common in males, typically diagnosed within the first year of life.
Majority of cases presented with a nasal mass or respiratory symptoms; prenatal detection seen in some instances.
Magnetic resonance imaging was largely preferred for diagnosis.
Most patients had favorable postoperative outcomes, with 84.7% without complications or recurrence. Incomplete excision led to recurrence in 10% of cases.

Abstract

Background: Nasal glioma (NG), also known as nasal glial heterotopia, is an extremely rare congenital anomaly characterized by the presence of mature glial tissue outside the cranial cavity. Most patients present with midline craniofacial malformations at birth. However, a small subset of them is entirely intranasal and have no accompanying visible features. We present an unusual case of delayed diagnosis of NG, in tandem with a systematic literature review. Methods: A previously well 2-year-old male presented with obstructive apnea secondary to an intranasal mass. Neuroimaging of his paranasal sinuses demonstrated a bony defect in the anterior cribriform plate with herniation of a soft tissue structure into the right nasal cavity. He underwent craniotomy, total excision of the lesion and repair of skull base defect. His postoperative period was uneventful with resolution of his symptoms. Histology reported infiltrates of mature glial tissue with rare neurons forming the excised nasal mass. We conducted a structured literature review using PRISMA guidelines to evaluate clinical features of NG. Results: A comprehensive search of PubMed and Scopus databases featured 133 published cases of NG relevant to our case. Overall, NG is more common in males, with most cases diagnosed within the first year of life. Clinical presentation usually involved an external nasal mass (82.8%) and/or respiratory symptoms (28.7%), with prenatal detection reported in a subset of cases. Magnetic resonance imaging was the preferred imaging modality. Surgical excision was the mainstay of treatment. Postoperative outcomes were favorable in most patients, with 84.7% showing no complications or recurrence. Incomplete excision was associated with recurrence (10%). Conclusions: We present an intranasal case of NG with late diagnosis that was successfully managed with surgery. Our review underscores the importance of early imaging, accurate diagnosis, and complete surgical resection for best outcomes in affected children.

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