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Pediatric Radiology
Published in: Pediatric Radiology 9/2010

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.
Literature
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Guba AM Jr, Adam AE, Jaques DA et al (1978) Cervical presentation of thymic cysts. Am J Surg 136:430–436CrossRefPubMed
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Hendrickson M, Azarow K, Ein S et al (1998) Congenital thymic cysts in children-mostly misdiagnosed. J Pediatr Surg 33:821–825CrossRefPubMed
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Nguyen Q, deTar M, Wells W et al (1996) Cervical thymic cyst: case reports and review of the literature. Laryngoscope 106:247–252CrossRefPubMed
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Kelley DJ, Gerber ME, Willging JP (1997) Cervicomediastinal thymic cysts. Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol 39:139–146CrossRefPubMed
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Metadata
Title
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
Publication date
01-09-2010
Publisher
Springer-Verlag
Published in
Pediatric Radiology / Issue 9/2010
Print ISSN: 0301-0449
Electronic ISSN: 1432-1998
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00247-010-1782-8

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