Clinical Profile of Lymphatic Malformation from One Oral and Maxillofacial Center in Sudan

Abstract

Background: Lymphatic malformations are developmental defects of the lymphatic system. They are frequently present at birth and are most commonly found in the head and neck regions. The aim of the study was to investigate the clinical presentation of head and neck Lymphatic malformations in relation to, age, gender, color and site of distribution. Methods: This is a retrospective descriptive study, where the record of the patient diagnosed as lymphatic malformation at the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at Khartoum Teaching Dental Hospital, during the period of 2005 to 2008 where retrieved and analysed. Result: A cervicofacial lymphatic malformation was found more common in females than in males with a ratio of 11:9. The mean age was 14 ± 10 years, with lip and tongue being the most common sites, followed by the buccal mucosa in the intraoral site and neck in the posterior triangle was the most common site for extraoral site (30%). It was found that the bluish color was the commonest presenting color in oral lymphangioma followed by red pink color. Conclusion: Females are more affected than males, while infants and children were more affected than other age groups. The bulks of the patients were presented with soft swelling, blue to normal colour in the lip, neck and in the tongue. Further prospective studies are needed to evaluate the clinic picture and treatment outcome.