TMSS Medical College Journal

Cystic hygroma of the breast is an extremely rare benign tumor. Cystic hygroma also known as cystic lymphangioma is a congenital malformation of the lymphatic system. It is due to failure of primary lymphatic spaces to connect with the venous system. More than 50% of these lesions are present at birth. 90% are diagnosed by the age of 2 year. They are mostly located in the neck region and the axilla. Complete excision is the treatment of choice but other treatments such as sclerotherapy, radiotherapy are ineffective. Here we report a case of 14 months old female child with cystic hygroma of left breast.

Cystic hygroma is a fluid filled sac that results from a blockage in the lymphatic system. It consists of single or multilocular cysts within the soft tissues. It is most commonly (>90%) located in the posterior triangle of neck or head areca and axilla but can be located anywhere in the body." It may be discovered in a fetus during pregnancy ultrasound or it may be apparent at birth as a soft bulge under the skin. In some cases it is not discover until a person is older.> Cystic hygroma that develops after birth may not be noticeable when the baby is born. They can become visible as they grow larger and the child gets older and usually appear by the time the child is 2 yrs old. Cystic hygroma typically grows as the child grows and may become apparent after a sudden increase in size due to infection or bleeding within the cyst.’ Complete excision is the treatment of choice. Cystic hygroma of the breast is quiet rare with only a few cases being reported in the literature. We report a case of gradually enlarging painless cystic left breast swelling of 14 months old female child which was identified sonographically and histopathologically as a breast cystic hygroma and treated by complete surgical excision.