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Retropharyngeal Thymus
Case Detail
| Anatomy: Neck-Face |
 Joseph Junewick, MD FACR |
| Diagnostic Category: Normal variant |
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| Created: over 2 years ago |
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| Updated: over 2 years ago |
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Activities:  PDF  ImageJA |
History
2 year old male with pharyngeal mass noted during tonsilectomy
Case Images
Diagnosis
Retropharyngeal Thymus
Findings
MR _ Sagittal and axial T2 images of the neck show a circumscribed lentiform retropharngeal hyper intense lesion.
Discussion
Thymus is the latinized form of the greek thymos meaning the origin of the soul and spirit. It is gill derivative evolutionarily first seen in sharks, thought to have an osmoregulatory function. It forms from the 3rd and 4th pharyngeal pouches at about 7-8 weeks comprised of ectoderm, endoderm, mesenchyme and neural crest cells. Aberrant thymus anywhere from mandible to diaphragm.
Reference
Shah S. Retropharyngeal aberrant thymus. Pediatr (2001); 108:e94