Current Thoracic Surgery 2025 , Vol 10 , Issue 1
Branchial cleft cyst with subcarinal and posteroinferior mediastinal localization: what would be your most likely interpretation based on preoperative images?
Rasih Yazkan1,Suleyman Emre Akin1,Hasan Emre Yildirim1,Busra Karakas2,Hasan Ekrem Camas1
1Department of Thoracic Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Suleyman Demirel University, Isparta, Turkey
2Department of Thoracic Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Suleyman Demirel University, Isparta, Turk
DOI : 10.26663/cts.2025.005 Viewed : 29 - Downloaded : 11 Branchial cleft cysts are common head and neck lesions in children; however, their occurrence in the mediastinum, particularly at lower levels, is extremely rare. When located in the posterior mediastinum, these cysts may cause symptoms such as dysphagia and dyspnea due to compressive effects. Therefore, although uncommon, mediastinal localization should be considered in the differential diagnosis of cystic mediastinal masses. Keywords : mediastinal cyst, branchial cleft cyst, images