Three Cases of Cervical Rib / 대한이비인후과학회지

Cervical rib is a normal asymptomatic congenital bone abnormality that occurs in 0.4% of the population; 70% of these cases are bilateral. Cervical ribs are found incidentally on routine radiographs, though sometimes patients complain of a hard or pulsatile neck mass in the supraclavicular area. Although most of these ribs produce no symptoms and need no therapy, a few cases are symptomatic and require treatment. Furthermore, a cervical rib can displace the great vessels superiorly and may cause iatrogenic hemorrhage during neck surgery. Thus, otorhinolaryngologists should be aware of the diagnosis and management of this condition in patients with a neck mass. Here, we report three cases of cervical rib and include a review of literature.