Abstract
A 19-day-old baby girl was referred to us for evaluation of a left submandibular mass. Initially it was diagnosed as hemangioma. MRI findings at six months of age proposed a cystic mass, considered as branchial cleft cyst or lymphangioma. At 10 months of age, ultrasonography revealed a cervical tumor consisting of solid components, and MRI also demonstrated a solid mass which was adherent to the carotid artery. Preoperative diagnosis included cervical fibroma or neurofibroma. For a histological diagnosis and a treatment, the operation was carried out at 22 months of age. It was encapsulated and easily dissected from the surrounding tissue, then excised. Histological examination demonstrated normal thymic tissue. The postoperative course was uneventful and no complication or immunological disorders were seen. Despite its rarity, it should be considered in the differential diagnosis of asymptomatic cervical mass in children.
