Giant fetal lymphangioma at chest wall and prognosis: case report and literature review

Abstract

Objective: To report a rare liveborn case with a giant, septated, chest wall lymphangioma that underwent prenatal expectation treatment.

Case report: A case of giant fetal chest wall cystic lymphangioma was diagnosed prenatally at 19 weeks gestation. Expectation treatment was performed, carefully after prenatal counseling, ruling out other structural abnormalities. At 38 weeks gestation, ultrasound showed a multilocular, subcutaneous cystic mass of 12.3 cm × 9.2 cm × 11.0 cm located on the left chest wall and left upper arm. The tumor was surgically removed 4 days after birth, and no recurrence was observed in the following 18 months.

Conclusion: Our experience suggests that a large, septated fetal lymphangioma may still merit prenatal expectation treatment if there is no evidence for chromosomal and structural abnormality.

Keywords: congenital malformations; genetic counseling; lymphangioma; prenatal diagnosis.