Cervical thymic cyst

A cervical thymic cyst, also called thymopharyngeal duct cyst, is a fluid-filled mass that occurs when the thymopharyngeal duct, an embryonic structure connecting the nascent thymus with the embryonic pharynx, fails to close and disappear. A thymic cyst is typically a solitary mass on one side of the neck, and is usually found near the carotid sheath. Some cervical thymic cysts may extend into the mediastinum. The diagnostic process includes differentiating between other causes of neck masses in infants and children, including branchial cleft cysts and cystic hygromas. The treatment is surgical excision. On histologic examination, the wall of the cyst includes thymic tissue, and may include parathyroid gland tissue because of the parathyroid gland's common embryonic origin with the thymus gland in the third pharyngeal pouch. Fewer than 100 cases of cervical thymic cysts have been reported in the medical literature.[1]

References

Operative Pediatric Surgery. Ziegler, Moritz M., Azizkhan, Richard G., Von Allmen, Daniel, Weber, Thomas R. (2nd ed.). New York. ISBN 9780071627238. OCLC 891571895.CS1 maint: others (link)

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.

[1] Operative Pediatric Surgery. Ziegler, Moritz M., Azizkhan, Richard G., Von Allmen, Daniel, Weber, Thomas R. (2nd ed.). New York. ISBN 9780071627238. OCLC 891571895.CS1 maint: others (link)