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Stone Trails Across the Cervical Planes: Extensive Bilateral Cervicothoracic Calcifications Mimicking Invasive
Humna Rashid1, Hadia Sohail1, Muhammad Younus1
1Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, Islamabad, PAK.
Abstract:
Benign soft tissue calcifications in the neck are uncommon and can pose significant diagnostic challenges due to their clinical and radiological resemblance to malignant lesions. It is crucial to distinguish between these entities in order to prevent unnecessary and aggressive interventions. We describe the case of a 38-year-old woman who had an anterior neck swelling that had been painful, firm, and irregular for four years and had no previous comorbidities. With no accompanying symptoms like dysphagia, dyspnea, or voice abnormalities, the mass had an abrupt onset and did not progress. A fixed, firm swelling that moved with deglutition and tongue protrusion was discovered during the clinical examination. Imaging revealed widespread, pleomorphic calcifications extending from the cervical to the upper thoracic area. These extended transfascially and transcompartmentally, with a modest mass effect on nearby structures. Ultrasound-guided FNAC was non-diagnostic, and a subsequent incisional biopsy revealed calcified and fibrous tissue without evidence of malignancy. Since there were no compressive symptoms and the histology was benign, the patient was treated conservatively and monitored closely. This case emphasizes how crucial it is to perform a thorough clinical, radiographic, and histological investigation in order to differentiate benign calcified neck masses from malignancies. Conservative management with close monitoring may be appropriate in selected cases without compressive or systemic signs.
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