International Journal of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery | September-October 2019 | Vol 5 | Issue 5 Page 1275 International Journal of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery Rao SSS et al. Int J Otorhinolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2019 Sep;5(5):1275-1278 http://www.ijorl.com pISSN 2454-5929 | eISSN 2454-5937 Original Research Article Pediatric neck masses: a clinicopathological study Seepana Soma Shekara Rao 1 , Seepana Ramesh 2 *, Hanumanthu Ramesh 3 , Kusuma Jeevan Pradep 3 , Satvinder Singh Bakshi 2 , Soumyajit Das 2 INTRODUCTION Pediatric neck masses are one of the most commonly presenting problems in ENT practice. Based on the etiology they are classified as infectious, congenital or neoplastic. 1,2 The common cause of neck masses in children is lymphadenopathy due to infections of the ear, nose, and throat. The next common neck masses in children are congenital lesions. 3,4 Common congenital masses in the neck include thyroglossal cysts, branchial cysts, dermoid cysts, and hemangiomas. Benign neoplastic lesions include lipomas, fibroma and neurofibromas. Malignant neck masses are rare in children and may include lymphoma, rhabdomyosarcoma and papillary thyroid carcinoma. A detailed history and physical examination are essential to establish the diagnosis and treat them. The study was undertaken to assess the clinico- pathological profile of the pediatric neck masses. METHODS The present study was conducted for a period of 24 months between March 2015 to February 2017 in the department of ENT, Government General Hospital Srikakulam, a tertiary care hospital in costal Andhra Pradesh. Patients below 15 years of age of either sex or having neck swelling(s) were included in the study. Diagnosed cases of pubertal goiter, and acute lymphadenitis without abscess formation were excluded from the study. The clinical history was obtained from the parents or the caretaker of the patients. Each patient was physically examined and subjected to fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC), USG and or histopathology ABSTRACT Background: Pediatric neck masses are one of the most commonly presenting problems in ENT practice. Based on the etiology they are classified as infectious, congenital or neoplastic. A detailed history and physical examination are essential to establish the diagnosis and treat them. The study was undertaken to assess the clinicopathological profile of the pediatric neck masses. Methods: The present study was conducted for a period of 24 months between March 2015 to February 2017 in the Department of ENT, Government General Hospital Srikakulam in a tertiary care hospital in costal Andhra Pradesh. Results: A total of 226 patients were enrolled into the study. Of them 132 were males and 94 female. Inflammatory swelling was most common etiology (76.1%) followed by congenital (16.3%) and neoplastic (7.5%). Conclusions: In most cases of pediatrics neck masses diagnosis is made based on a detailed history and the findings of the physical examination. If radiological examination is required, US should be the first choice. Infectious and inflammatory diseases are the leading causes of neck masses in the pediatric age group. Keywords: Neck masses, Fine needle aspiration cytology, Infections 1 Department of Pediatrics, 3 Department of ENT, GMC, Srikakulam, 2 Department of ENT, AIIMS, Mangalagiri, Andhra Pradesh, India Received: 22 April 2019 Revised: 26 June 2019 Accepted: 02 July 2019 *Correspondence: Dr. Seepana Ramesh, E-mail: rameshseepana@rediffmail.com Copyright: © the author(s), publisher and licensee Medip Academy. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License, which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.18203/issn.2454-5929.ijohns20193869