Paediatric Imaging

Retropharyngeal mass

a mass situated in the retropharynx. Cystic hygroma, haemangioma, neuroblastoma, neurofibroma, ectopic goitrous thyroid tissue, myxoedema of hypothyroidism, foreign body, traumatic instrumentation and oedema or haematoma from cervical spine injury, retropharyngeal cellulitis or abscess, lymphoma, leukaemia, infectious mononucleosis and tuberculosis are some of the causes of retropharyngeal masses that may lead to airway obstruction. The mass is identifiable on a lateral neck radiograph but not the precise pathological cause. Other imaging modalities, such as CT and MRI, are required to characterize and demonstrate the extent of the lesion.

LT