Ummukulsum A., 8

Ummukulsum is an 8year old female child who is currently staying with her widowed mother and seven siblings. The father died 4 years ago leaving the mother and children struggling. The mother is a road side petty trader, sometimes she doesn't do the business because of ill health. Ummukulsum is in primary 1, she wishes to further her education after finishing secondary school. They were given a room apartment to stay by a good Samaritan, having 2 rooms and a pit toilet. There is borehole where they fetch water for daily activities. They don't have access to electricity. Ummukulsum is an 8-year-old female child who presented with history of a neck swelling present since birth, initially small in size, but has gradually increased in size. It is painless, there is no history of difficulty in breathing or swallowing. On examination, a small midline neck mass, non-tender, no differential warmth, and moves on swallowing and protrusion of the tongue. She was thoroughly evaluated and diagnosed with Thyroglossal cyst. The plan is for Thyroglossal cyst excision surgery. The family are poor and cannot afford the bills that made them contact Helpster Charity for medical assistance.

Adam is diagnosed with a Thyroglossal cysts and requires surgical correction to avoid complications such as acute infection resulting in painful abscess formation, or the development of a thyroglossal duct sinus or fistula if the cyst ruptures or is incompletely removed during surgery. The prognosis of Thyroglossal Cyst is excellent with appropriate treatment. Ummukulsum will recover fully after surgical excision, especially with the Sistrunk procedure, which has a low recurrence rate. Delayed treatment leads to recurrent infection, abscess formation, or fistula development. Malignant transformation is rare. With timely management and follow-up, long-term outcomes is very good with minimal functional impairment.