Heterotopia (medicine)

Heterotopia is functional, ie, correctly formed and functioning tissue that is not at the usual anatomic localization in medicine. Examples are teratomas, parathyroid tissue in the mediastinum or spleen tissue in the abdominal cavity ( so-called accessory spleen ) as well as the sebaceous glands Fordyce glands ( in the mouth or genital area).

With the concept of dystopia the disturbed localization is provided semantically to the fore - otherwise the terms are also used interchangeably.

• Pathology