Showing posts with label Cystic hygroma. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cystic hygroma. Show all posts

Jul 6, 2011

Cystic Hygroma

Introduction: Cystic hygroma or lymphangioma occurs because of faulty development of lymph vessels.There is either sequestration or obstruction of the developing vessels.It occurs 1 in 12000 of births every year.
Commonest sites are:
Posterior triangle of the neck
Axilla
Groin
Mediastinum
(though it can occur anywhere in the body)
Age at presentation:
It may appear at birth or can rapidly increase in size over first few months of life.Generally it is disease of infants.
Diagnosis:
Prenatal Ultrasonography
swelling at the time of delivery
Complications:
If the swelling is very large,it can cause compression over the trachea & airway compromise
Infection
Hemorrhage
Treatment:
Injection sclerotherapy
Surgical excision
Principle of surgery:
Total removal of all gross disease without damaging vital structures.
Recurrence rate: 20% with subtotal excision.

Jul 30, 2008

Lymphangioma

Introduction: It is also called cystic hygroma. It arise as the result of abnormality of the development of lymphatic system.This is soft,multicystic, ill defined cystic mass that is brilliantly transilluminant

Sites: It can occur in any part of the body but the neck is the most commonest part. Other areas which gets affected are axillae,mediastinum, groin, and retroperitoneum.

Symptoms & signs: The presenting symptoms is usually soft, non tender swelling rarely evident at birth but may become evident as the child grows. The swelling may be subcutaneous deep or may be in the facial planes or in the muscular plane. There swelling is multicystic & cyst varies in size from macrocystic to microcystic in nature. The swelling is compressible & may be minimally reducible. It is brilliantly transilluminant.

Investigations:
Ultrasonography
CT scan/ MRI

Treatment:
1. Injection sclerotherapy: Aspiration of fluid & injection of sclerosants inside the cysts is the treatment advisable where the surgical excision is not possible.

2. Surgical excision: Excision of lymphangioms is the best form of treatment. This is benign lesion which can be excised without the margin of normal tissue. Wherever it is close to the vital structures, the cyst can be marsupilized, provided by all macroscopically abnormal lymphatics are removed.