Elsevier

The Journal of Pediatrics

Volume 131, Issue 5, November 1997, Pages 774-775
The Journal of Pediatrics

Tietze’s syndrome in children and infants,☆☆

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0022-3476(97)70114-8Get rights and content

Abstract

Tietze’s syndrome, characterized by isolated swelling and tenderness of a costochondral junction, usually occurs in adults. We describe eight cases of Tietze’s syndrome in children, four of them aged 1 year or less. The clinical aspects and laboratory and imaging findings should enable the clinician to recognize this benign entity, thereby avoiding invasive diagnostic procedures to rule out other conditions. (J Pediatr 1997;131:774-5)

Section snippets

Methods

The study population included eight children referred to our clinic over an 18-month period because of a mass in the anterior chest wall. Patients who had rheumatic diseases were excluded. The medical charts and radiographs of all patients were reviewed retrospectively.

Results

The study population comprised six boys and two girls; their ages ranged from 10 months to 12 years (Table) , and five were aged 1 year or less. No systemic signs or fever were detected at the time of examination or preceding the appearance of the parasternal mass. The mass was located in the lower chest wall area in five patients, in the middle part of the chest wall area in two patients, and in the upper part (second costochondral junction) in one patient. Tenderness was noted in six

Discussion

Tietze’s syndrome, rarely described in children and infants, 2, 3 was documented in eight cases in our clinic within an 18-month period. It is possible that many cases go undiagnosed because of the mild symptoms, such as in patients 6 and 7 of our study.

We believe clinical awareness of this syndrome and the possibility that it can occur even in very young infants will minimize performance of invasive diagnostic procedures, such as needle aspiration or biopsies. 4

Childhood Tietze’s syndrome is

References (8)

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Reprint requests: M. Mukamel, MD, Emergency and Day Care, Ambulatory Department, Schneider Children’s Medical Center of Israel, Beilinson Campus, Petah Tiqva 49202, Israel.

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