Background: The head and neck region is the most common site for lymphatic malformations. The aim of the present study was to analyze the exact localizations of lymphatic malformations of the neck.
Methods and results: The patients' charts of 48 patients with lymphatic malformations of the neck were retrospectively analyzed regarding gender, age at diagnosis, age at initial presentation, morphologic type, size, and localization. The median age of the patients at presentation was 11.9 years. Macrocystic malformations were observed in 13 patients (27%), mainly in the lateral neck. Microcystic lesions occurred in 22 patients (46%), predominantly in the floor of mouth. Mixed lymphatic malformations occurred in 13 patients (27%) without a preferred localization. The morbidity of patients with microcystic and mixed lesions was higher than of patients with macrocystic lymphatic malformations.
Conclusion: The cause for the different localization of microcystic and macrocystic lymphatic malformations is still not clarified. One reason may is the different structure of the surrounding connective tissue, which is compact in the floor of mouth and loose in the neck lateral neck so that macrocystic cysts can arise. Maybe both types of malformation have a different etiology. However, this will have to be clarified in further studies.