title: Unusual presentation of angiomyomatous hamartoma in an eight-month-old infant: case report and literature review.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Evaluation of palpable neck masses may be a diagnostic problem in pediatric patients, with differential diagnosis including congenital, inflammatory, tumoral and traumatic lesions. Ultrasonography is usually a satisfactory method to make a correct pre-operative evaluation of neck masses, although diagnosis is often challenging for the surgeon and the radiologist and sometimes only possible after a histopathological examination of the resected lesion.
  
  
  METHODS
  We report an 8-month-old patient with a cervical, anterior midline mass. Ultrasonographic images showed features suggesting a partly cystic lesion, with a preoperative suspect of thyroglossal duct cyst. Histological examination, performed after surgical removal of the mass, led to a diagnosis of lymph node angiomyomatous hamartoma (AH).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  AH, a rarely occurring benign lymph node lesion, has been reported in the neck lateral region only twice. This case, presenting as a palpable neck midline mass, is the first reported case occurring in infancy. Although rare, AH should be included in the differential diagnosis of head and neck masses.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Surgery, Catholic University of Sacred Heart, Largo A.Gemelli 8, Rome 00168, Italy.
authors.forename: Vincenzo Davide
authors.initials: VD
authors.lastname: Catania
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Manzoni
authors.forename: Mariangela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Novello
authors.forename: Libero
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lauriola
authors.forename: Antonella
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Coli
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D006222:Hamartoma / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008206:Lymphatic Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D009333:Neck