Abstract
Cystic lymphangioma arises as a malformation of the lymphatic tissues and is a benign tumor generally found on the neck or below the jaw of an infant. Recently, an operation for a giant cystic lymphangioma at the axilla which developed during pregnancy was undertaken in our department. A 43-year-old woman first noticed a mass in her left axilla during her second pregnancy, which showed a tendency to enlarge during her third pregnancy. The patient underwent drainage by a local physician several times but the tumor did not resolve, so she was referred to our hospital. Ultrasonography and CT indicated a cystic tumor under the axillary veins and arteries, while angiography showed an avascular lesion. Extirpation under general anesthesia revealed that the tumor was a multilobular giant cyst (19.0×14.0×12.0cm) containing clear yellow fluid. The histopathological diagnosis of the tumor was cystic lymphangioma.
There have been many reports on giant lymphangioma in the mesentery or retroperitoneum, but few have mentioned it at the axilla. Because they may grow and become enormous during pregnancy as occurred in the present case, we believe that such cystic tumors of the axilla are better extirpated at an early stage without being repeatedly drained.
