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The thymus is an organ that sits behind the sternum in the upper front part of the chest, stretching upwards towards the neck. In children, the thymus is pinkish-gray, soft, and lobulated on its surfaces. [1] At birth, it is about 4–6 cm long, 2.5–5 cm wide, and about 1 cm thick. [2]
Ectopic thymus most often does not cause symptoms. [1] It is most frequently discovered as a soft mass or swelling in the neck of infants and children. [2] However, when symptoms do occur they are most commonly due to compression of nearby structures such as the trachea and esophagus.
In October 2021, the thymus tissue product Rethymic was approved by U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a medical therapy for the treatment of children with congenital athymia. [20] It takes six months or longer to reconstitute the immune function in treated children. [20]
Allogeneic processed thymus tissue, sold under the brand name Rethymic, is a thymus tissue medical therapy used for the treatment of children with congenital athymia. [4] It takes six months or longer to reconstitute the immune function in treated people.
Majority of human naive T cells are produced very early in life when infant's thymus is large and functional. Decrease in naive T cell production due to involution of the thymus with age is compensated by so called "peripheral proliferation" or "homeostatic proliferation" of naive T cells which have emigrated from the thymus earlier in life.
In children, however, a sail sign could be normal, reflecting the shadow of the thymus. [2] The thymic sail sign or spinnaker-sail sign is due to elevation of the thymic lobes in the setting of pneumomediastinum. [3]
An 8-year-old boy with Down syndrome became a hero after he alerted his 14-year-old sister of a fire in their Colorado home, helping them get out on time before it was engulfed in flames.
For example, in children, it is important that the immune problems are identified early, as special precautions are required regarding blood transfusion and immunization with live vaccines. [52] Thymus transplantation can be used to address absence of the thymus in the rare, so-called "complete" DiGeorge syndrome. [53]