[Cervical thymus. A case report and literature review]

In a 1 month-old healthy newborn, a submaxilar solid tumor was palpated. Gestation and delivery were normal and he was asymptomatic. At 9 months of age, surgery was decided and uneventfully performed. The diagnosis was ectopic thymic tissue, an infrequent cause of cervical tumor. Remnants of the thymus can remain anywhere between the pharynx and the lower neck, all the way through the cervical migration pathway of the thymus. An ectopic thymic remnant can be solid or cystic, and should be considered among other cervical masses in children, such as lymphatic malformations ("lymphangiomas"), vascular tumors or mal-formations, branchial cleft cysts, eccentric thyroglossal cysts and parathyroid cysts. Various solid masses, such as lymph nodes of neoplastic or infectious etiology, and tumors such as teratomas, lipomas, lipoblastomas, neuroblastomas or rabdomyosarcomas should also be considered. Surgery is indicated for the complete removal of thymic remnants as it is often feasible and curative.