To report an unusual case of pseudoaneurysm formation following ingestion of a thin wire.

Case report, including management, and review of the world literature concerning pseudoaneurysm and its management.

A 15-year-old boy presented as an emergency with a two-week history of painful swallowing, and a one-week history of a progressively enlarging, right-sided swelling of the lower neck. A foreign body had been ingested two weeks previously. Radiological investigation showed a pseudoaneurysm of the right common carotid artery. The neck was explored, the foreign body removed and the common carotid artery repaired. The patient was discharged on the 10th post-operative day without neurovascular complication.

This is an unusual presentation of pseudoaneurysm of the common carotid artery following accidental ingestion of a foreign body, reported for its rarity and management.

We report a case of unilateral combined laryngocoele occurring in conjunction with recurrent respiratory papillomatosis.

Case report and review of the literature concerning the physiology underlying laryngocoele formation.

A laryngocoele is an abnormal, air-filled dilation of the laryngeal saccule which communicates with the laryngeal lumen. We report a case of a 53-year-old man with a unilateral combined laryngocoele occurring in conjunction with recurrent respiratory papillomatosis. Microlaryngoscopy demonstrated a papilloma obstructing the laryngeal saccule. Removal of papillomata via laser excision and marsupialisation of the left laryngocoele improved the patient's vocal symptoms. There was no recurrence of papillomata or the laryngocoele.

While many laryngocoeles can be explained by altered laryngeal physiology, the papilloma described in this case acted as an anatomical obstruction that trapped air within the saccule, creating an environment conducive to laryngocoele formation.

Ectopic cervical thymus is a rare anomaly, and 50 per cent of cases occur in children. The aim of this report was to remind clinicians of this rare condition, which is part of the differential diagnosis of a paediatric neck lump.

Case report together with literature review of the pathogenesis and management of ectopic cervical thymus.

The ectopic cervical thymus is a rare cause of a benign neck mass, and is thus usually misdiagnosed as lymphadenopathy or neoplasia. We discuss its embryology, aetiology, presentation, histopathology, radiology and management, with reference to the reported case.

Ectopic cervical thymus should always be considered in the differential diagnosis of a paediatric neck lump. The diagnosis can often be confirmed by cytology and radiology prior to surgical excision.