Introduction: Cystic lymphangiomas are rare dysembrioplasias that occur mostly in children. Although benign, these tumors remain potentially life-threatening, due to the possible compression of the upper airway. The management of cystic lymphangiomas is still somewhat controversial, with surgery generally being the first-line treatment.
Patients and methods: 17 patients were included in this retrospective study, all aged less than 18 years old and treated for head and neck cystic lymphangiomas at our department between 2007 and 2017. All these patients had received surgical treatment alone. The relevant data were analyzed with SPSS software.
Results: 17 patients were included, with a sex ratio M/F of 1,4, and an average age of 4 years old. Complete resection of the tumor could only be completed in 12 patients. No postoperative complications were observed in our series. All the patients were followed for a minimum of 2 years after treatment.
Conclusion: Cystic lymphangiomas are rare tumors of mysterious origins. The main symptom is swelling of the affected area. In our series, the results of the surgery were promising and consistent with results reported in the literature. A follow-up study with a larger population could be interesting, to further examine potential prognostic factors.
Keywords: Children; Cystic lymphangiomas; Surgery.
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