Korean J Otorhinolaryngol-Head Neck Surg.  2017 Dec;60(12):678-680. 10.3342/kjorl-hns.2017.00402.

A Case of Unusual Type of Branchial Cleft Cyst Presenting as Superficial Midline Neck Mass

• Baek HH
• Lim SH
• Lee MJ
• Kim SW

• KMID: 2401410
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3342/kjorl-hns.2017.00402

Abstract

The most widely accepted hypothesis about the origin of branchial cleft cysts (BCC) is developmental theory. The second most accepted is acquired inflammatory theory. A 57-year-old woman visited our department, presenting with a soft and well-margined round superficial mass in the lower midline neck. We performed an excisional biopsy to confirm the disease. The mass was located superficial to the sternohyoid without severe adhesion and abnormal communication. The pathology was proven to be BCC. We presumed that this is irrelevant to the established developmental theory, and a recurrent pharyngeal inflammation might lead to the transformation of aberrant epithelium into a cervical lymph node. We report rare and unusual type of BCC with a literature review. To the best of our knowledge, there have been two similar clinical cases that have been reported earlier.

Keyword

Branchial cleft cyst; Inflammation; Midline; Neck

MeSH Terms

Biopsy
Branchial Region*
Branchioma*
Epithelium
Female
Humans
Inflammation
Lymph Nodes
Middle Aged
Neck*
Pathology