Unusually rapid development of a lateral neck mass: Diagnosis and treatment of a branchial cleft cyst. A case report

Cervical thymic cysts (CTCs) represent 1% of all cervical cystic masses. A review of the literature found that CTCs are typically asymptomatic, with a propensity to be left sided. CTCs often require histological evaluation for diagnosis. A 27-year-old male patient presented to an outpatient otolaryngology clinic with worsening bilateral jaw and neck pain and an incidental right-sided neck mass found on cervical MRI. Preoperative differential diagnosis included venolymphatic malformation versus branchial cleft cyst. Histological examination of the excised specimen provided diagnosis of a CTC. Postoperatively, the patient reported improvement in cervical pain. CTCs are a rare cause of lateral neck mass in young adults. Typical presentation included neck enlargement with no symptoms or in some cases compressive symptoms. It is important to consider CTCs when formulating a differential for a lateral neck mass.

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Cervical thymic cyst in adult: a rare entity

International Journal of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery ◽

10.18203/issn.2454-5929.ijohns20192735 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 5 (4) ◽

pp. 1088

Author(s):

Rohaizam Bin Japar Jaafar ◽

Glen Johannes Franciscus Kemps ◽

Ing Bing Tan ◽

Alida Annechien Postma

Keyword(s):

Surgical Excision ◽

Neck Mass ◽

Thymic Cyst ◽

Rare Entity ◽

Lateral Neck ◽

Adult Onset ◽

Branchial Cleft Cyst ◽

Thymic Cysts ◽

Branchial Cleft ◽

Lateral Neck Swelling

<p>Cervical thymic cysts in adults are rare and seldom diagnosed preoperatively as it may mimic other cystic cervical swellings like a branchial cleft cyst. We present our first encounter with an adult-onset cervical thymic cyst presenting as a lateral neck mass as the sole symptom. Clinical, radiological and cytological evaluations are excellent tools to approach and assess cervical thymic cysts. Histopatholgical examination is the only mean to provide a definitive diagnosis. Adult-onset cervical thymic cyst is a rare entity but should be included in the differential diagnosis for lateral neck swelling. Surgical excision is both diagnostic and therapeutic, once malignancy has been exluded.</p>

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Third branchial cleft cyst as a cause of hoarseness: a case report

Journal of International Medical Research ◽

10.1177/03000605211012549 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 49 (5) ◽

pp. 030006052110125

Author(s):

Zhao Li ◽

Jianhui Zhang ◽

Yijing Yang ◽

Xi He

Keyword(s):

Case Report ◽

Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve ◽

Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve Palsy ◽

Neck Mass ◽

Cystic Mass ◽

Laryngeal Nerve ◽

Branchial Cleft Cyst ◽

First Case ◽

Branchial Cleft ◽

The Right

Third branchial cleft cyst is a rare congenital disease of the neck. It presents as a painless mass that develops rapidly in the neck following an infection. This is the first case report of recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy caused by a third branchial cleft cyst. A 30-year-old woman presented with a 3-month history of hoarseness as her only symptom; she had no pain, fever, dysphagia, dyspnoea, or palpable neck mass. Laryngoscopy revealed that her right vocal cord was paralyzed. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging revealed a cystic mass in the right tracheoesophageal groove that was closely associated with the trachea. Intraoperatively, the cyst was found not to originate from the thyroid or trachea, but it was compressing the right recurrent laryngeal nerve. The hoarseness resolved the day after the cyst was removed.

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Case report of a p16INK4A-positive branchial cleft cyst

The Journal of Laryngology & Otology ◽

10.1017/s0022215114003223 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 129 (6) ◽

pp. 611-613 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

T McLean ◽

C Iseli ◽

D Amott ◽

M Taylor

Keyword(s):

Human Papillomavirus ◽

Case Report ◽

Immunohistochemical Analysis ◽

Oral Lesion ◽

Needle Aspiration ◽

Neck Mass ◽

Histopathological Analysis ◽

Branchial Cleft Cyst ◽

Branchial Cleft ◽

Enhanced Computed Tomography

AbstractObjective:To report the occurrence of a concurrent oropharyngeal papilloma and branchial cleft cyst linked by p16INK4Aand human papillomavirus immunohistochemistry.Case report:A 42-year-old woman presented with a 1-month history of a left lateral neck mass. Contrast enhanced computed tomography showed a hypodense lesion 20 mm in diameter anteromedial to the left sternocleidomastoid muscle. Ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration suggested a branchial cleft cyst. Panendoscopy was performed at the time of neck mass removal, and a papillomatous lesion was removed from the left hypopharynx. Histopathological analysis showed the neck lesion to be a branchial cyst containing lymphoid tissue, and the oral lesion to be a squamous papilloma. Immunohistochemical analysis showed both the branchial cleft cyst and papilloma to be positive for p16INK4Aexpression and human papillomavirus DNA.Conclusion:Histological and immunohistochemical analyses support the cystic transformation of lymph nodes, or the ‘Inclusion Theory’, as the aetiology of branchial apparatus anomalies, and raise the possibility that human papillomavirus infection may play a much larger role in disease of the head and neck than previously supposed.

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First branchial cleft cyst accompanied by external auditory canal atresia and middle ear malformation: A case report

World Journal of Clinical Cases ◽

10.12998/wjcc.v8.i16.3616 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 (16) ◽

pp. 3616-3620

Author(s):

Chun-Lin Zhang ◽

Chun-Lei Li ◽

Hang-Qi Chen ◽

Qiang Sun ◽

Zhao-Hui Liu

Keyword(s):

Case Report ◽

Middle Ear ◽

External Auditory Canal ◽

Branchial Cleft Cyst ◽

Branchial Cleft ◽

Canal Atresia

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Papillary thyroid carcinoma metastasis to a branchial cleft cyst: a case report and review of imaging

Clinical Imaging ◽

10.1016/j.clinimag.2020.02.003 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 64 ◽

pp. 1-6

Author(s):

Andy Cooc ◽

Insun Chong ◽

Kevin Yuqi Wang ◽

Kevin Jiang ◽

Christie M. Lincolns

Keyword(s):

Case Report ◽

Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma ◽

Thyroid Carcinoma ◽

Papillary Thyroid ◽

Branchial Cleft Cyst ◽

Branchial Cleft ◽

Carcinoma Metastasis

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Aberrant Thymus and Parathyroid Gland Presenting as a Recurrent Lateral Neck Mass: A Case Report

Ear Nose & Throat Journal ◽

10.1177/014556130608500719 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 85 (7) ◽

pp. 452-453 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Yahya Daneshbod ◽

Abbas Banani ◽

Perikala V. Kumar

Keyword(s):

Case Report ◽

Parathyroid Gland ◽

Neck Mass ◽

Lateral Neck

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Branchial Cleft Cyst of the Hypopharynx: A Case Report.

Nihon Kikan Shokudoka Gakkai Kaiho ◽

10.2468/jbes.48.351 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 48 (4) ◽

pp. 351-354 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Tetsuo Watanabe ◽

Hisashi Ohga ◽

Yuichi Kurono ◽

Goro Mogi

Keyword(s):

Case Report ◽

Branchial Cleft Cyst ◽

Branchial Cleft

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Two cases of nasopharyngeal branchial cleft cyst treated by powered instrument assisted marsupialisation

The Journal of Laryngology & Otology ◽

10.1017/s0022215113000959 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 127 (6) ◽

pp. 614-618 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Y W Kim ◽

M-J Baek ◽

K H Jung ◽

S K Park

Keyword(s):

Case Report ◽

Surgical Treatment ◽

Literature Review ◽

Sleep Apnoea ◽

Invasive Technique ◽

Branchial Cleft Cyst ◽

First Case ◽

Branchial Cleft ◽

The Right

AbstractObjective:We report two extremely rare cases of symptomatic nasopharyngeal branchial cleft cyst treated by powered instrument assisted marsupialisation.Methods:Case report and literature review concerning nasopharyngeal branchial cleft cyst and surgical treatment methods.Results:The first case was a two-year-old boy with a 1 × 2 cm, cystic, oropharyngeal mass, who also had severe snoring and sleep apnoea. The second case was a 56-year-old man with right nasal obstruction and a sensation of fullness in the right ear. In both cases, we performed endoscopic marsupialisation using a powered instrument. There was no recurrence in either case over two years of follow up.Conclusion:Powered instrument marsupialisation is a simple, effective and less invasive technique for the treatment of nasopharyngeal branchial cleft cyst.

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