A Case of Nasopalatine Duct Cyst in Patient with Cleft Lip and Alveolus

Abstract

An alveolar bone graft for patients with cleft lip and palate may cause nasopalatine duct cysts. This case report presents a nasopalatine duct cyst in a patient with a cleft lip and alveolus and discusses the etiology. The patient was a 43-year-old man with swelling of 10mm on the left anterior hard palate. He had a medical history of microform cleft lip for which lip plasty had been performed in his childhood followed by alveolar bone graft and correction of the lip and nose deformity at 31 years of age. CT examination revealed a penetration image which included the incisive canal and spread from the upper anterior incisor tooth cephalad to the area of the alveolar bone graft. Excisional biopsy was performed and a diagnosis of nasopalatine duct cyst was made. The possibility of injury and/or infection has been reported as an etiology of this cyst. However, it is hard to determine whether the procedure of lip plasty or correction of the lip and nose deformity could affect the maxilla. The surgical procedure of alveolar bone grafting or physical stimulation by a grafted bone itself against the incisive canal could be related to the development of a cyst.