Solid cervical ectopic thymus in an infant
Section snippets
Case report
An otherwise healthy 2-month-old infant presented with an asymptomatic left neck mass that increased in size for several weeks. On examination, there was a 2 × 3 × 2 cm soft, spongy mass in the left submandibular region. There was no associated erythema, skin changes, or cervical lymphadenopathy. Our differential diagnosis included a branchial cleft cyst, hemangioma, and cystic hygroma.
Ultrasonography demonstrated 3 small lymph nodes and no mass. Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging showed a 3.6 ×
Discussion
The thymus gland reaches its largest relative size between the ages of 2 and 4 years (about 15 g). Thymic size peaks at puberty with an absolute size of about 35 g [1]. The thymus then involutes and slowly decreases in size over one's lifetime.
Embryologically, the thymus is derived from all 3 germinal layers and arises primarily from the third pharyngeal pouch [1]. It descends from the piriform sinus and passes through the thyrohyoid membrane and out along the carotid sheath bilaterally [2].
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Cited by (17)
Diagnosis and management of ectopic cervical thymus in children: Systematic review of the literature
2021, Journal of Pediatric SurgeryCitation Excerpt :Normal mediastinal thymus was present in 11 patients (including the one with congenital pigmented naevus syndrome) and absent in 1 patient: no information was available in 18 patients. We identified 28 cases (28 patients) of surgically excised solid ECT (Table 3) [7,12,15,18,19,29,34,37,38,41,43,45,46,51,53,54,58,62,68,70,74,75]. Multiple imaging modalities, including USS, MRI and CT scans, were performed in 17 (60%).
Ectopic cervical thymus: A clinicopathological study of consecutive, unselected infant autopsies
2014, International Journal of Pediatric OtorhinolaryngologyCitation Excerpt :Thus, the ECT most often has an indolent course, and can be managed conservatively. However, some previous case reports have described the enlargement of ECTs during various periods, along with the induction of symptoms [18,22–25]. Our previous review of 95 cases revealed that relatively severe symptoms, such as respiratory symptoms and/or dysphagia, are seen in approximately 10% of the reported cases [3].
Retropharyngeal thymus and parathyroid gland: A case report
2014, International Journal of Pediatric OtorhinolaryngologyCervical ectopic thymus: A rare condition
2013, Anales de PediatriaEctopic cervical thymus associated with infant death: 2 case reports and literature review
2013, International Journal of Pediatric OtorhinolaryngologyEctopic intrathyroidal thymus in children: Two case reports and review of the literature
2013, Journal of Pediatric Surgery Case ReportsCitation Excerpt :But due to the difference in the level of ultrasonic imaging doctors, the definitive preoperative diagnosis of ectopic intrathyroidal thymus is still relatively difficult. Considering previously described cases [1–9] and those described in the present study, it is clear that that ectopic thymus may occur in the thyroid or neck. Therefore, differential diagnosis of a thyroid or neck mass should include the ectopic thymus.