Cervical, Cervicomediastinal and Intrathoracic Lymphangioma

Current topic: Treatment of thoracic lymphangiomatosis

“…While spontaneous regression has been reported in two cases, and stabilisation of disease following surgery in five of 11 patients described in one series, this is very rare 7. The majority of cases will have slowly progressing disease; eventually this may lead to serious morbidity and even mortality in some cases 10…”

“…This will be seen as a well defined multilocular water density mass with or without compression or displacement of nearby structures 7. Shaffer et al pointed out that the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings are not dissimilar from those of a CT scan and may include a cystic component isointense to muscles on T1 weighted images and hyperintense to fat on T2 weighted images 8.…”

MR imaging of the chest in children

“…These malformations constitute the most common cervico-thoracic mass of childhood, with 50% diagnosed at birth and 90% detected before school age. The chest wall constitutes the site of 25% of all lymphatic malformations (30,31). Pathologically, they are comprised of malformed, isolated dilated lymphatic channels.…”

Hygroma in a 23-year-old man

“…Other common, as well as rare, congenital cervical cysts are thyroglossal duct cysts or branchial cleft cysts and thymic or cervical bronchogenic cysts 1. A cystic hygroma develops as a result of a malformation of the lymphatic system 2 3. Patients with an abnormal development of the lymphatic system, who develop a cervical cystic hygroma have an obstruction between the venous and lymphatic pathways.…”