Extracardiac Rhabdomyoma Mimicking Plunging Ranula

Abstract

Histopathologically adult extracardiac rhabdomyoma is a benign tumour of mature striated muscle. It is a slow-growing tumour with predilection to occur in head and neck region. They appear mainly as a solitary lesion, and about 15% of them can be multicentric. A 56-year-old man presented to us with the floor of mouth swelling persisted for one year and the right neck swelling for three years mimicking a plunging ranula. Radiological imaging revealed enhancing mass at the floor of mouth and submandibular region. The mass represented a nonvascular benign tumour. Subsequently, the patient underwent excision of the mass via transcervical and transoral method. Histopathological examination revealed adult type of extracardiac rhabdomyoma. Adult type of extracardiac rhabdomyoma should be considered in the differential diagnosis for the head and neck masses. A complete excision will reduce the risk of recurrence.

Adult extracardiac rhabdomyomas presenting as a slowly growing neck mass

“…Some authors, however, believe that the manifestations of rhabdomyoma are dependent on the tumor's location. Compressive manifestations such as globus, hoarseness, or dysphagia may be present in parapharyngeal rhabdomyomas [11] . The tumor can develop in the oral cavity, submandibular region, tongue, pharynx, larynx, soft palate, thyroid, cheek, tonsillar region, and parapharyngeal space, among other places in the head and neck.…”

“…However, as these tumors are rare in day-to-day practice, the imaging features are not well defined. These imaging modalities are however very useful in determining the tumor's features, its extent, and the likelihood of multifocality [10 , 11] .…”