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A Hump-like Neck Mass in a Child

Educational Objective
Based on this clinical scenario and the accompanying image, understand how to arrive at a correct diagnosis.
1 Credit CME

A 7-year-old boy presented with a slowly growing, asymptomatic lump on his left lower neck since birth. His parents denied any medical history of trauma, infection, or surgery. Physical examination showed a 1.3 × 0.7 × 0.6 cm, yellowish, hump-like mass with hairy surface and cartilage-like consistency on the anterior border of the lower third of the left sternocleidomastoid muscle (SCM) (Figure, A). No other anomalies were observed. Ultrasonography revealed a 1.2 × 1.0 × 0.9 cm, hypoechoic, avascular, bulging nodule with an anechoic tubular structure extending to the subcutaneous fat and reaching the surface of the muscular layer. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) demonstrated a protuberant nodule with diffuse, slight hyperintensity on T1WI; and 2 mild hyperintense foci surrounded by hypointense tissue on fat-suppressed T2WI (Figure, B). The neck mass was completely excised under general anesthesia in the department of pediatric surgery. Intraoperatively, the mass extended into the anteromedial fascia of the left SCM and did not involve the deeper neck structures. Postoperative histopathologic analysis showed normal-appearing epidermis, multiple pilosebaceous follicles, abundant adipose tissue, and 2 centrally circumscribed segments of cartilage in the subcutis (Figure, C). Van Gieson stain highlighted elastic fibers surrounding individual chondrocytes.

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A 7-year-old boy presented with a slowly growing, asymptomatic lump on his left lower neck since birth. His parents denied any medical history of trauma, infection, or surgery. Physical examination showed a 1.3 × 0.7 × 0.6 cm, yellowish, hump-like mass with hairy surface and cartilage-like consistency on the anterior border of the lower third of the left sternocleidomastoid muscle (SCM) (Figure, A). No other anomalies were observed. Ultrasonography revealed a 1.2 × 1.0 × 0.9 cm, hypoechoic, avascular, bulging nodule with an anechoic tubular structure extending to the subcutaneous fat and reaching the surface of the muscular layer. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) demonstrated a protuberant nodule with diffuse, slight hyperintensity on T1WI; and 2 mild hyperintense foci surrounded by hypointense tissue on fat-suppressed T2WI (Figure, B). The neck mass was completely excised under general anesthesia in the department of pediatric surgery. Intraoperatively, the mass extended into the anteromedial fascia of the left SCM and did not involve the deeper neck structures. Postoperative histopathologic analysis showed normal-appearing epidermis, multiple pilosebaceous follicles, abundant adipose tissue, and 2 centrally circumscribed segments of cartilage in the subcutis (Figure, C). Van Gieson stain highlighted elastic fibers surrounding individual chondrocytes.

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Article Information

Corresponding Author: Yi-Ming Fan, MD, Dermatology, Plastic and Cosmetic Surgery Center, First Dongguan Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical University, 42 Jiaoping Rd, Tangxia Town, Dongguan, Guangdong 523710, China (ymfan1963@163.com).

Published Online: March 2, 2023. doi:10.1001/jamaoto.2023.0003

Conflict of Interest Disclosures: None reported.

Additional Contributions: We thank the patient’s guardian for granting permission to publish this information.

References
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Atlan  G , Egerszegi  EP , Brochu  P , Caouette-Laberge  L , Bortoluzzi  P .  Cervical chrondrocutaneous branchial remnants.   Plast Reconstr Surg. 1997;100(1):32-39. doi:10.1097/00006534-199707000-00006PubMedGoogle ScholarCrossref
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Ishigaki  T , Akita  S , Suzuki  H , Udagawa  A , Mitsukawa  N .  Cervical chondrocutaneous branchial remnants: A report of 29 cases and review of the literature.   Auris Nasus Larynx. 2021;48(2):288-294. doi:10.1016/j.anl.2020.08.016PubMedGoogle ScholarCrossref
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Lee  HS , Kim  TH , Jang  JY ,  et al.  Bilateral cervical chondrocutaneous branchial remnants: a case report and a review of the literature.   Medicine (Baltimore). 2020;99(28):e21114. doi:10.1097/MD.0000000000021114PubMedGoogle ScholarCrossref
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Yin  XF , Shi  J , Hua  ZX , Miao  X , Zhou  BR .  Case series of neck accessory tragus.   J Cosmet Dermatol. 2019;18(6):1800-1802. doi:10.1111/jocd.12912PubMedGoogle ScholarCrossref
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AMA CME Accreditation Information

Credit Designation Statement: The American Medical Association designates this Journal-based CME activity activity for a maximum of 1.00  AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the participant to earn up to:

  • 1.00 Medical Knowledge MOC points in the American Board of Internal Medicine's (ABIM) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program;;
  • 1.00 Self-Assessment points in the American Board of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery’s (ABOHNS) Continuing Certification program;
  • 1.00 MOC points in the American Board of Pediatrics’ (ABP) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program;
  • 1.00 Lifelong Learning points in the American Board of Pathology’s (ABPath) Continuing Certification program; and
  • 1.00 credit toward the CME of the American Board of Surgery’s Continuous Certification program

It is the CME activity provider's responsibility to submit participant completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting MOC credit.

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