Ectopic cervical thymic masses in infants: a case report and review of the literature

Ectopic cervical thymic tissue is a rare cause of neck masses in infants with only nine cases reported in the literature. This entity should be considered in the differential diagnosis of infantile neck masses to prevent inadvertent total thymectomy and its possible deleterious effects on the developing immune system. The case report of a 2-month-old infant with ectopic thymic tissue presenting as a solid cervical mass is reviewed as is the literature of such lesions. The embryology of the thymus, the effect of early total thymectomy in laboratory animals, and the management of neck masses in infants are discussed.