FIBROMATOSIS COLLI - THE UTILITY OF FINE-NEEDLE ASPIRATION IN DIAGNOSIS

Background: Fibromatosis colli (FC), also known as sternocleidomastoid tumor of infancy, is a benign spindle cell lesion of the sternocleido mastoid muscle. It usually is seen in the first few weeks of life and is the most common cause of a neck mass in the perinatal period. Altho ugh FC may lead to congenital muscular torticollis requiring surgical intervention, if the diagnosis of FC is certain, the usual initial tre atment option is conservative management. Objective: To show the utili ty of fine-needle aspiration in the diagnosis of FC. Patients: Five ca ses in which fine-needle aspiration was used in the evaluation of pati ents with FC were identified retrospectively by a search of the cytopa thology files of the State University of New York Health Science Cente r at Syracuse and the Virginia Commonweath University, Medical College of Virginia, Richmond. Results: Fine-needle aspiration yielded an ini tial diagnosis of FC in 4 of the 5 cases. Smears made from the aspirat ed material were of low cellularity, but showed a characteristic popul ation of spindle-cell fibroblasts. In addition to these fibroblasts, a variable amount of degenerating skeletal muscle was present in the ba ckground. Conclusion: With the collaborative efforts of otolaryngologi sts and pathologists, fine-needle aspiration can be used to confirm a clinical diagnosis of FC while avoiding the expense and risk of open b iopsy.