The Turkish Journal of Pediatrics 2016 , Vol 58 , Num 1
Neck epidermoid cyst mimicking tuberculosis at ultrasound: Case report and review of literature
Jacopo Cambi 1 ,Giovanni Monciatti 1 ,Luca Pelliccia 2 ,Maria Carla Spinosi 1 ,Leopoldo Brindisi 1
1 Department of ENT, University of Siena, Siena, Italy
2 Department of Diagnostic Radiology, University of Siena, Siena, Italy
DOI : 10.24953/turkjped.2016.01.013 Neck masses in children can be inflammatory, congenital or neoplastic. When a congenital cyst becomes infected repeatedly, it may mimic inflammatory disease and the diagnosis may be challenging with ultrasound. An increasing incidence of infection with non-tuberculous mycobacterial organisms has been observed in recent decades in children with cervical lymphadenopathy. An ultrasound scan performed during the infectious phase of a mass can be misleading and can lead to an incorrect diagnostic hypothesis with the risk of erroneous medical and surgical therapies. We describe a case of a lateral neck epidermoid cyst mimicking and misdiagnosed as a tuberculous lymphadenopathy at ultrasound scan and treated with primary surgical excision. After surgery, a histological diagnosis of an epidermal cyst was made. There were no signs of recurrence during the 12-month follow-up period. A review of the literature and a proposed practice pathway for lateral cervical lymphadenopathy in children is also reported. Keywords : epidermoid cyst, tuberculosis, lymphadenopathy, neck, child, ultrasound
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