Neural Tissue Abnormalities – Nasal Glioma

Nasal Glioma is a benign congenital tumor that I rarely encounter in my The Woodlands dermatology and Conroe dermatology offices.  Clinically, a Nasal Glioma may appear like a hemangioma when it occurs on the external area of the nose; however, Nasal Gliomas are much firmer than hemangiomas and difficult to compress.  Typically, they appear on the nasal root and have a red to purple color.  As they cannot be clinically distinguished from an encephalocele, which is connected to the CNS, a biopsy should be avoided until radiographic imaging is obtained.  Nasal Gliomas are surgically managed by a neurosurgical team.