neck ganglioneuroma mimicking a thyroid nodule in a four-year-old child: a case report and review of the literature

Introduction: ganglioneuromas are tumors of neurogenic origin usually located in the abdomen, the adrenal glands, and the mediastinum but infrequently found in the neck region. case presentation: we describe the case of a four-year-old albanian girl presenting with an anterior neck mass initially suspected to be a thyroid nodule. from a clinical point of view, there was no evidence of compression on vital cervical structures. lab tests detected normal serum thyrotropin, calcitonin, and parathormone concentrations. a neck ultrasound showed a huge mass apparently originating from the left thyroid lobe. cytological examination of fine needle biopsy demonstrated a population of large cells with eosinophilic cytoplasm, regular nuclei, and prominent nucleoli and spindle cells without significant atypia, consistent with a benign lesion of neurogenic origin. also, the neck mri displayed a mass with well-defined margins, likely arising from the peripheral nervous system. the patient underwent surgical excision of the mass without complications. the histological exam was diagnostic for ganglioneuroma. conclusions: we discuss the cytological and histological features peculiar to such a rare neck lesion and review the differential diagnosis.