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A Cervical Thymic Cyst in an Adult Female; A Case Report and Comprehensive Literature Review

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Abstract

Introduction: Cervical thymic cyst accounts for (0.3-1) % of cervical cysts in children and are usually present during the first decade of life with few reported cases in adults. Herein, we present a 34-year-old female with a cervical thymic cyst. We conducted a review of all the previously reported cases as well. Case presentation: The patient complained of an anterolateral neck swelling that was noticed one year ago. It was a soft, fluctuant, mobile, non-tender swelling in the midline and the right side of the lower neck. Neck ultrasonography revealed a large thin-walled cyst, with no internal septa, echoes, or solid parts. Post-contrast MRI of the neck showed a well-defined, oblong-shaped, lobulated cystic lesion just beneath the strap muscle. The cyst extended caudally to the superior border of the anterior mediastinum at the level of the upper border of the manubrium sterni. The patient underwent excision of the swelling under general anesthesia via Kocher’s collar neck incision. Connection with the thymus gland was detected behind the manubrium sterni which was separated. Pathological examination showed prominent thymic tissue confirming the diagnosis of a cervical thymic cyst. Conclusion: Adult cervical thymic cyst is very rare with a few cases reported in the literature. Surgical excision in symptomatic patients is the treatment of choice.

Paper’s main novel aspects:

• A rare presentation of a cervical thymic cyst in an adult.

• A comprehensive literature review including all the previously reported cases in one table.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Surgical oncology unit, Mansoura University Oncology centre, Mansoura, Egypt

    Shadi Awny & Omar Hamdy

  2. Medical intern, Mansoura University Hospitals, Mansoura, Egypt

    Marwa Alashram, Aya Eladl & Amira Awad

  3. Radiology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt

    Yara Taysir & Mahmoud Abdelshaheed

  4. Pathology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt

    Wagdi ElKhasef

  5. Radiology Unit, Mansoura University Childern Hospital, Mansoura, Egypt

    Ashraf Abdelrahman

  6. Cardiothoracic surgery Department, Faculty of Medicine, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt

    Fetoh Alaaeldin Fetoh & Mohamed Elshabrawy

  7. Anasthesia and intensive care Department, Faculty of Medicine, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt

    Mohamed Eslam Elshehawi

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  1. Shadi Awny
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Contributions

All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection and analysis were performed by Shadi Awny, Wagdi ElKhasef, Ashraf Abdelrahman, Mahmoud Abdelshaheed, Fetoh Alaaeldin Fetoh, Mohamed Elshabrawy, Mohamed Eslam Elshehawi. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Shadi Awny Marwa Alashram, Aya Eladl, Amira Awad, Yara Taysir and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Omar Hamdy.

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Awny, S., Alashram, M., Eladl, A. et al. A Cervical Thymic Cyst in an Adult Female; A Case Report and Comprehensive Literature Review. Indian J Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 75, 924–933 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12070-022-03159-1

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