Management of cystic hygroma of the head and neck in Lagos, Nigeria; a 10-year experience.

Management of cystic hygroma in 25 children as practised in Lagos, Nigeria during 1980 through 1989 was studied. Thirteen (52%) were infants out of which 7 were newborns. Thirty-three operations were performed including those for recurrences. There were 29 excisions out of which 22 (76%) were one-stage complete excisions. Complications included 4 cases of facial paresis, 6 recurrences and respiratory obstruction which led to death in 5 newborns, the only deaths in the series, and an operative mortality of 20.8%. A striking feature of this study is the observation that some recurrences occurred at sites which were normal at the initial or previous excision. Such recurrences led to 4 surgical operations at different times in one child. The term 'Progressive Infilterating cystic Hygroma' (PICH) is being suggested to distinguish this type from the ordinary cystic hygroma.