This Article  • Full text  • PDF  • Reply to article  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Citing articles on ISI (2)  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Similar articles in this journal  Topic Collections  • Pediatric Otolaryngology  • Alert me on articles by topic

Robert J. Tibesar, MD; Frank L. Rimell, MD; Eduard Michel, MD

Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 1999;125:1390-1393.

Cystic hygroma is a benign developmental tumor formed by lymph vessels that occurs in 1 of 12,000 individuals and presents most frequently in the head and neck. It is often difficult to manage because the tumor frequently envelopes nearby vital structures. Lesions that extend significantly above the hyoid are especially difficult to excise because of the complexity of achieving a complete excision. This article describes a series of 3 cases of cystic hygroma that presented in the head and neck and, on further investigation, were found to also involve the skull base. This anatomic location is exceedingly rare, and these 3 cases represent new and difficult challenges not previously discussed in the literature, to our knowledge.

From the Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, (Drs Tibesar and Rimell), and the Neuroradiology Section, Department of Radiology, (Dr Michel) University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis.