Extracranial fasciitis in childhood: a sheep in wolf’s clothing

Soft tissue tumours in children are rare, and the differentiation between pseudosarcomatous tumours and sarcomas is difficult. Rapidly-enlarging masses within the head and neck region in infants require rapid diagnosis and prompt definitive treatment to lessen psychological burden on the parents and the surgical team. We present a case of a 17-month-old girl who had a large, rapidly-enlarging soft tissue mass within the maxilla which was excised. The diagnosis of childhood extracranial fasciitis was confirmed histopathologically. We emphasise the importance of conservative excision once the diagnosis has been confirmed.