A Rare Neck Pathology in Children; Congenital Sıalocutanous Fistule: A Case Report

Abstract

Introduction/Background: In this article, we aimed to present a congenital sialocutaneous fistula originating from the parotid gland in a 4-year-old child with MR findings. Case Presentation: A 4-year-old male patient was admitted to our clinic with a small hole in the inferior right half of the neck and a sticky fluid coming out of this area. Neck ultrasonography (US) and contrast neck Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) were performed on the patient. In the US, a millimeter linear, vaguely hypoechoic appearance was observed in the subcutaneous tissue at this level on the neck. In contrast-enhanced neck MRI imaging, at the level of the right parotid tail, a millimetric linear fistula tract was observed, which was thought to originate from the superficial parotid lobe and extended to the skin at the proximal level of the right sternocleidomastoid (SCM) muscle. After suppressing surrounding fatty tissues in fat-suppressed contrast-enhanced series, this tract area became slightly pronounced. Conclusion: In conclusion, sialocutaneous fistula should be considered among the differential diagnoses in cases of skin fistulization in children. In terms of differential diagnosis, MRI is a very effective imaging method due to its high soft-tissue resolution.