Ectopic thymic tissue in subglottis of children: evaluation and management

xlomafota13 shared this article with you from Inoreader Ectopic thymic tissue in subglottis of children: evaluation and management Via Associação Brasileira de Otorrinolaringologia e Cirurgia Cérvico-Facial Braz J Otorhinolaryngol. 2021 Nov 5:S1808-8694(21)00179-8. doi: 10.1016/j.bjorl.2021.10.001. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT OBJECTIVES: Ectopic thymic tissue in the subglottis is an extremely rare disease that causes airway obstruction. Few cases reported were accurately diagnosed before surgery. METHODS: A case of a 2-year-old boy with airway obstruction caused by a left subglottic mass was reported. The presentation of radiological imaging, direct laryngoscopy and bronchoscopy, pathology, and surgical management were reviewed. An extensive search in PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and EBSCO of English literature was performed without a limit of time. RESULTS: Besides our case, only six cases were reported since 1987. The definitive diagnosis on these patients were made with the findings of pathology, of which, five were ectopic thymus and two were ectopic thymic cysts. Our case was the only one with a cor rect suspicion preoperatively. Four cases underwent open surgical resection, and two cases underwent microlaryngeal surgery, while one deceased after emergency tracheostomy. No recurrences were found by six patients during the follow-up after successful treatments. CONCLUSION: Ectopic thymus is a rare condition, infrequently considered in the differential diagnosis of subglottic masses. Modified laryngofissure may be an effective approach to removing the subglottic ectopic thymus and reconstructing the intact subglottic mucosa. PMID:34840123 | DOI:10.1016/j.bjorl.2021.10.001 View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.