Neck tumour - lung hernia in a 10-year-old girl - diagnostic difficulties

Spontaneous hernias of the pleural cupola are extremely rare tumours in the neck area. The most common tumours in children are lymph node abnormalities, and cysts that are remnants of the branchial arches. Due to diagnostic and therapeutic difficulties, we would like to present the case of a 10-year-old girl, with a neck tumour that was observed during coughing and was accompanied by dyspnea. The girl was admitted to the Paediatric Hospital of Warsaw Medical University. Finally, the neck tumour was diagnosed as a hernia of the pleural cupola, which was subsequently treated surgically. In a review of the literature we found two case reports of similar disorders that appeared spontaneously. All cases of neck tumours in children require very precise radiological diagnostic investigation. Spontaneous lung hernia is an extremely rare cause of neck tumours, which is treated surgically if it becomes symptomatic.