A Hibernoma of the Neck Complicated With an Abscess

Abstract

A hibernoma is a rare benign soft tissue tumor which may occur in the whole body. In the head and neck region, it occurs only sporadically and is difficult to distinguish clinically and on imaging from malignant tumors. It typically presents as a slow-growing, mobile, non-sensitive mass. Our case report describes an atypical presentation of a hibernoma with sudden onset of swelling in the left neck and dysphagia symptoms in a 16-year-old girl. One week later, a superinfection was noted with discharge of pus. A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed a cystic solid mass, but no definitive diagnosis could be made. Therefore, surgical excision of the mass was performed which proved to be a hibernoma on anatomopathological examination. Whole-body MRI did not show similar lesions in other locations to the head and neck region. A hibernoma should be included in the differential diagnosis in patients presenting with a mass in the head and neck region. It is important to differentiate between benign and malignant tumors since the treatment differs. MRI is the imaging of choice and surgical excision is curative. To our knowledge, this is the first description of a hibernoma with an additional rare abscess formation, making the diagnosis even more difficult.

Int J Clin Pediatr. 2022;11(3):92-97
doi: https://doi.org/10.14740/ijcp496