Journal of Indian Association of Pediatric Surgeons (Jan 2007)

Giant cystic hygroma of the neck with spontaneous rupture

  • Kaur Navneet,
  • Gupta Aman,
  • Amratash,
  • Singh Navjeevan

Journal volume & issue
Vol. 12, no. 3
pp. 154 – 155

Abstract

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Cystic hygroma is a disfiguring benign lesion commonly observed in the neck and face regions of children. The common complications of these malformations are respiratory obstruction, dysphagia, infection, and hemorrhage. Here, we present an uncommon complication of spontaneous rupture of a cystic hygroma. A two-day-old male baby presented with a swelling that was cystic, non-compressible, non-pulsatile and the transillumination was negative. With a clinical diagnosis of a massive cystic hygroma of the neck, CT scan was performed that demonstrated a large multiloculated cystic lesion. On the second day after admission, the swelling burst spontaneously with drainage of about 1000 ml of hemorrhagic fluid. The swelling shrunk considerably after that. The patient underwent surgical excision of the lesion and had an uneventful postoperative recovery. The histopathological examination confirmed the diagnosis of cystic hygroma.

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