Pathologic Quiz Case: An Anterior Neck Mass in a 5-Month-Old Female Infant
December 2004
in “
Archives of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine
”
TLDR The neck mass was a rare benign "wattle," surgically removed for diagnosis and appearance.
The document described a case of a 5-month-old female infant with a congenital neck mass, diagnosed as a wattle or congenital cervical tragus. This rare, benign condition presented as a fleshy, pedunculated mass on the neck, initially suspected to be a branchial cleft anomaly. Histological examination revealed a central plate of immature elastic cartilage surrounded by adipose tissue, hair follicles, pilosebaceous units, and eccrine glands. The wattle is associated with branchial arch anomalies and syndromes like Goldenhar syndrome. Surgical excision is typically performed for diagnostic and cosmetic reasons, with the main clinical concern being chondritis or chondrodermatitis if the cartilaginous plate is not adequately removed.
