Symptomatic Cervical Thymic Cyst: A Case Report and Literature Review

Abstract

Introduction: Ectopic cervical thymic cyst is a very rare cause of neck masses in children. The diagnosis is sometimes very difficult and preoperative, correctly diagnosed thymic cysts in the neck are very low. Case Presentation: We report a 5-year-old boy with a left sided cervical mass and respiratory distress following a common cold, and ultrasound and CT scan revealed a cystic mass in the left neck with extension to the anterior mediastinum, suggesting cystic hygroma. After complete resection of the cyst and its extension, pathology report demonstrated simple thymus cyst. Discussion: Thymic cyst must be considered in differential diagnosis of a young child with a cervical mass.