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. 2013 Mar 1;16(1):17-20.
doi: 10.1007/s40477-013-0004-2. eCollection 2013.

Branchial cleft cyst

M Valentino  1 , C Quiligotti, L Carone
Affiliations

Branchial cleft cyst

M Valentino et al. J Ultrasound. .

Abstract
in English, Italian

Branchial cleft cysts are benign lesions caused by anomalous development of the brachial cleft. This report describes a 20-year-old girl with swelling on the right lateral aspect of the neck, which expanded slowly but progressively. The clinical suspicion was that of a branchial cleft cyst. Sonography revealed a homogeneously hypo- to anechoic mass with well-defined margins and no intralesional septa. Color Doppler reviewed no internal vascularization. The ultrasound examination confirmed the clinical diagnosis of a second branchial cleft cyst, demonstrating the cystic nature of the mass and excluding the presence of complications. For superficial lesions like these, ultrasound is the first-level imaging study of choice because it is non-invasive, rapid, low-cost, and does not involve exposure to ionizing radiation.

Le cisti branchiali sono lesioni benigne dovute ad anomalie di sviluppo degli archi branchiali. Viene presentato il caso di una Paziente, 20 anni, con tumefazione laterocervicale a lenta e progressiva crescita, sospetta clinicamente per cisti branchiale. Ecograficamente la lesione mostrava struttura omogenea ipo- anecogena, con margini ben definiti, priva di setti intralesionali e di patologica vascolarizzazione alla valutazione color-Doppler. L’ecografia confermava quindi il sospetto clinico di cisti del II arco branchiale, dimostrando la sua natura cistica ed escludendo possibili complicanze. Trattandosi di lesioni superficiali l’ecografia rappresenta la metodica di imaging di primo livello essendo non invasiva, di rapida esecuzione, poco costosa, non esponendo il paziente a radiazioni ionizzanti.

Keywords: Neck mass; Second branchial cleft cyst; Ultrasonography.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Schematic representation of the possible locations of second branchial cleft cysts (blue line) from the supraclavicular region to the oropharyngeal mucosa
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Sonographic examination of the mass on the right side of the neck: a panoramic view reveals a hypo-anechoic oval-shaped lesion with well-defined margins. The cystic nature of the lesion is reflected by the posterior enhancement; b color-Doppler imaging of the same mass demonstrates the absence of pathological intralesional vascularization
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Magnetic resonance imaging: a axial T2-weighted image showing the right-sided cervical mass with hyperintense content, well-defined margins, and no evidence of infiltration of the surrounding structures. The mass lies lateral to the carotid space (compressed medially) and posterior to the submandibular gland (displaced anteriorly); b coronal T2-weighted image: the lesion lies anterior to the sternocleidomastoid muscle and has no contact with the parotid gland (courtesy of Dr. G. Di Giulio, IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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