Published in:
01-09-2010 | Case Report
A pediatric case of life-threatening airway obstruction caused by a cervicomediastinal thymic cyst
Authors:
Makoto Komura, Yutaka Kanamori, Masahiko Sugiyama, Noriyoshi Fukushima, Tadashi Iwanaka
Published in:
Pediatric Radiology
|
Issue 9/2010
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Abstract
Most patients with thymic cysts complain of a slowly enlarging, asymptomatic cervical mass. Only 6–10% suffer dysphagia, dyspnoea, stridor, cervical pain or vocal paralysis. In some rare cases sudden onset of severe dyspnoea or asphyxia is the first symptom, especially in neonates and small infants. We report a unique case of a 20-month-old child, who required emergency tracheal intubation due to asphyxia. Cervicomediastinal thymic cyst might need to be included in causes of life-threatening airway obstruction in young children.