Oral Surgery, Oral Medicine, Oral Pathology, Oral Radiology, and Endodontology
Online only articleCystic hygroma: characterization by computerized tomography
Section snippets
Case Report
Patient J.A., 1 year of age, was referred to the Maximagem Medical Diagnosis for a computerized tomography (CT) scan. He presented with a tracheostomy performed just after birth and showed an abnormal mass of huge proportions in the neck and thorax. The lesion was flaccid and extended from the infraorbital suture to the mediastinum area. The mother stated that it was painless, apparently causing no paresthesia, and there was no sign of inflammatory origin, such as fever.
The medical history of
Discussion
Cystic hygroma presents as a soft tissue mass in the posterior triangle of the neck and only rarely extends into the mediastinum. Some cystic hygromas are diagnosed during childhood only if the lesions are very large.8 The present case showed early signs of growth before birth and at 1 year of age was already assuming a huge proportion and invading the mediastinum and adjacent tissues. Although there was no apparent cause, the patient's mother presented “skin irritation similar to insect
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