Lymphangioma Presenting as Juxta-Articular Swelling In Children: A Case Series

Lymphangiomas are rare congenital malformations arising due to the failure of development of communications between lymphatic channels with subsequent sequestration and dilatation of lymphatic tissue. Majority of these lesions are seen in the neck and facial region while other sites such as axilla, mediastinum, retroperitoneum, mesenteric and groin have also been reported [1]. The occurrence of lymphangiomas in upper or lower limbs has been published in a few case reports [2, 3]. We report our experience of treating lymphangiomas presenting as isolated juxta-articular swellings in paediatric population. These lesions can be confused with intraarticular swellings / effusions and need to be differentiated from them. The clinical features, diagnostic workup and operative findings of the cases in our series are given in Table 1. All the patients underwent surgical excision for these swellings under regional or general anaesthesia. The average time of follow up after surgery was 10 months (range 6 to 14 months). There was no post operative infection, recurrence or any other complication in any patient.