Heterotopic salivary tissue in the neck.

Heterotopic salivary tissue can occur in the upper part of the neck and may be confused with other causes of neck masses. The embryologic basis of the heterotopic salivary tissue is considered to be heteroplasia of the epithelium of the cervical sinus of His. Heterotopic salivary tissue should be surgically excised. The diagnosis is easy if there is a draining sinus, but if there is not a sinus, the diagnosis is usually made coincidental to the removal of the mass as part of the evaluation of a neck mass. Benign and malignant neoplasms can arise in such heterotopic salivary tissue.