Ectopic thymus as a cause of Horner's syndrome

Abstract

Ectopy of the thymus is a rare anomaly arising during fetal development, where the thymus does not make a complete decent into the thoracic cavity where it should involute in adolescence. The most common complications of an ectopic thymus include tracheal or esophageal compression presenting in childhood. This is a report of a single case of ectopic cervical thymus identified in a 2-month-old infant presenting with Horner's syndrome. Thymic ectopy should be on the differential when performing a radiologic evaluation of a neck mass when imaging characteristics are similar to thymic tissue.