Oropharyngeal approach as a surgical alternative for cervical lymphatic malformation with airway compression

Cervical lymphatic malformation is an infrequent benign congenital malformation of the lymphatic system, whose rapid growing capacity can compromise the airway. Here we present a 3-month-old male with severe respiratory impairment showing pharyngeal, cervical and mediastinal lymphatic malformation. Transoral surgery maintaining the mucosa allowed removal of numerous cystic lumps occupying the whole pharynx up to the pyriform sinus, surrounding the common carotid artery. Postsurgical MRI showed that the pharynx portion of the lymphatic malformation had disappeared. We conclude that the oropharyngeal approach is an alternative to the classical external surgery involving upper respiratory tract compression.