Ishida Tokiko, Kotani Hirokazu, Miyao Masashi, Abiru Hitoshi, Kawai Chihiro, Osamura Toshio, Tamaki Keiji
Department of Forensic Medicine, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan.
Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol. 2013 Sep;77(9):1609-12. doi: 10.1016/j.ijporl.2013.06.030. Epub 2013 Jul 23.
An ectopic cervical thymus is a rare congenital anomaly that can be located anywhere along the developmental pathway of thymic descent. Most lesions manifest as a cystic mass and have an indolent course. Two fatal cases associated with ectopic cervical thymus in the form of a solid mass are presented in conjunction with a review of the clinicopathological characteristics of the solid form. This report emphasizes the importance of considering a diagnosis of ectopic cervical thymus in infants with neck masses, with or without obstructive symptoms, to prevent possibly fatal outcomes.
