A 65-yearold woman was referred to our clinic in October 1997, because of a swelling at the left side of the hard palate. Clinical examination revealed a well-demarcated submucosal mass, measuring 19×18×10mm. The mass was enhanced markedly on post-contrast computed tomography (CT) in the early phase, which suggested that the tumor had a rich blood flow. The tumor was surgically removed with the patient under general anesthesia. Histologically, it was an encapsulated tumor composed of a dense proliferation of spindle-shaped cells with a scanty but quite vascular stroma. The pathological diagnosis was myoepithelioma, spindle cell type. There has been no evidence of recurrence as of 1 year 10 months after surgery. The findings of post-contrast CT are characteristic and help to differentiate between myoepitheliomas and pleomorphic adenomas, conditions that have similar clinical features.
