Youngson G G, Ein S H, Geddie W R, Cutz E
Division of General Surgery, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Pediatr Pulmonol. 1987 Jul-Aug;3(4):276-9. doi: 10.1002/ppul.1950030414.
A 15-month-old male developed acute respiratory distress following a prolonged upper respiratory tract infection. Laboratory and radiological investigations suggested tracheal compression by a malignant anterior mediastinal mass. Following a short course of steroid therapy, urgent exploration of the mediastinum and resection of the mass was carried out; resolution of the airway obstruction was obtained. Histological and bacteriological examination of the lesion revealed it to be a thymic cyst infected by Haemophilus Influenzae with abscess formation. The causes of tracheal compression in childhood are discussed.
