Pediatric neck masses can be challenging to work-up in the pediatric emergency department (PED) because an untimely or incorrect diagnosis can lead to increased morbidity and mortality in these patients. This case is a great example of how to approach a teenager with worsening undifferentiated neck swelling in order to avoid missing critical diagnoses of inflammatory, neoplastic, and infectious origins. The case demonstrates the utility of point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) in the PED as well as reviews key ultrasonographic details that help identify an infected branchial cleft cyst.
JB
Josef Bystrik, MD
Emergency Medicine Resident Physician Brooklyn Methodist Hospital
