ArticleLife (Basel, Switzerland)2023
Abnormal Locations of Thymic Tissue as an Uncommon Cause of Neck Masses in Children: A Practical Approach.
Article in Life (Basel, Switzerland), 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed, 4 citations in OpenAlex.
- A case of solid cervical ectopic thymus in a child: a case description and literature review.Quantitative imaging in medicine and surgery · 2026Article
- Ectopic cervical thymus in a child: A rare neck mass case report.International journal of surgery case reports · 2025Article
- Enigmatic thymus: Variations in anatomical localisation of thymic tissue as an easily misdiagnosed congenital anomaly in surgical practice.World journal of clinical cases · 2024Article
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Authors and funding
9 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe thymus gland is a lymphoid organ normally located in the anterior mediastinum. Location abnormalities of the thymus, such as ectopic thymus or the superior herniation of a mediastinal thymus, could be responsible for the occurrence of cervical masses in pediatric patients, raising concerns among clinicians. The knowledge of these conditions is essential for a thorough differential diagnosis and for preventing unnecessary invasive procedures.
methodsDescriptive retrospective series of three patients with a cervical mass, that was later diagnosed as ectopic thymic tissue.
resultsThe thymus has a unique and distinctive ultrasound appearance that is the keystone to detecting thymic parenchyma in locations other than anterior mediastinum. In selected patients, an accurate ultrasound could be conclusive for the diagnosis, with no need for further and potentially risky procedures.
conclusionsThis case series supports the use of ultrasound in both diagnosis and follow-up of thymus location abnormalities, advocating a minimal invasive and conservative approach.
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