TRACHEAL HAMARTOMA - REPORT OF A CHILD WITH A NECK MASS

Tracheal hamartoma represents an oddity in children. Only one case was found in the English literature as a distal tracheal intraluminal les ion causing obstructive symptoms. All other reported cases were in ord er patients, who were presumed to have asthma or chronic obstructive p ulmonary disease. The authors report on a 21-month-old girl who presen ted with an anterior neck mass fixed to the trachea. Imaging studies s howed a lesion (2.5 x 2.3 x 1.7 cm) anterior to the right lobe of the thyroid, extending to the trachea posteriorly and down to the thoracic inlet inferiorly. The mass had a mixture of soft tissue densities wit h a focus of calcification. Results of thyroid studies were normal, an d there was no adenopathy. Neck exploration showed a white, firm, lobu lated mass fixed to the trachea, which was resected completely. The po stoperative course was unremarkable. Histological studies showed a mix ture of mature cartilage, fat, fibroconnective tissue, and spindle cel ls with myxoid degeneration, consistent with tracheal hamartoma. Based on a literature search, this is the first reported case of extralumin al tracheal hamartoma presenting as a neck mass in a pediatric patient . Copyright (C) 1996 by W.B. Saunders Company