Giant cystic hygroma of the neck with spontaneous rupture

Cystic hygroma is a disfiguring benign lesion commonly observed in the neck and face regions of children. The common complications of these malformations are respiratory obstruction, dysphagia, infection, and hemorrhage. Here, we present an uncommon complication of spontaneous rupture of a cystic hygroma. A two-day-old male baby presented with a swelling that was cystic, non-compressible, non-pulsatile and the transillumination was negative. With a clinical diagnosis of a massive cystic hygroma of the neck, CT scan was performed that demonstrated a large multiloculated cystic lesion. On the second day after admission, the swelling burst spontaneously with drainage of about 1000 ml of hemorrhagic fluid. The swelling shrunk considerably after that. The patient underwent surgical excision of the lesion and had an uneventful postoperative recovery. The histopathological examination confirmed the diagnosis of cystic hygroma.