Airway obstruction caused by rapid enlargement of cervical lymphangioma in a five‐month‐old boy

Lymphangiomas are rare congenital malformations of the lymphatic system that tend to affect the head and neck 1. These lesions are histologically benign and usually asymptomatic; therefore, they are usually followed up in the outpatient department. However, life‐threatening complications including airway obstruction can arise due to sudden enlargement of a lymphangioma by hemorrhage or infection 1. Percutaneous sclerotherapy for lymphangioma, such as that by intralesional injection of OK‐432, has recently been proposed as an alternative to surgical resection 2. However, sclerotherapy may take a long time to exhibit an effect, and airway obstruction may occur due to temporary enlargement of the lesion by inflammation. In this report, we describe a five‐month‐old boy with cervical lymphangioma who needed emergency tracheal intubation because of rapid enlargement of the tumor by infection and underwent prophylactic elective tracheostomy for tracheal compression.