Giant benign mass of the lateral neck: a case report

We report the case of a woman aged 32 years with no medical history, who presented to the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery in Timisoara, Romania, accusing pain, right lateral cervical swelling and difficulty in head movements, due to the presence of a giant lateral cervical mass, which had a rapid growth during the last six months. During anamnesis, it was difficult to determine whether the initial location was anterior or posterior to the sternocleidomastoid muscle. CT images showed a homogeneous, well-defined cystic tumor, which compressed surrounding tissues. Pre-surgical image investigations received were digitally processed and showed the origin of the mass on the anterior margin of the sternocleidomastoidian muscle. Histopathological examination confirmed the clinical diagnosis of branchial cyst. The treatment was surgical, carried out under general anesthesia through oral intubation and consisted of cystic enucleation, followed by restoration of normal functions.