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Congenital thymic cysts in the neck

1984; Elsevier BV; Volume: 6; Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/s0165-5876(83)80108-6

1872-8464

Janne Hartvig Jensen, Johnny Lunding Larsen, Pia Asschenfeldt,

Cerebrospinal fluid and hydrocephalus

Cervical thymic cysts are rare. Sixty-seven cases are reported in the literature up until 1982. Remnants of thymic tissue in the course of descent may lead to cystic development. The majority of the cases is found in males under 10 years of age, typically on the left side of the neck. The characteristic histological features are thymic tissue with Hassall's corpuscles and cholesterol clefts found in the cyst wall. A preoperative correct diagnosis has never been made. Typically, the templative diagnosis has been a common branchial cyst. An additional case of a thymic cyst is reported, here. Surgical removal was complicated by lesion of the vagal nerve, which has never been described, although the cysts are often adherent to the carotid sheath and vagal nerve.