Cervical thymic cyst in the elderly: a case report. (1/99)

Cervical thymic cyst is uncommon and usually occurs in the first and second decades. Cervical thymic cyst after the third decade is so rare that it is very difficult to diagnose in spite of its typical location. We present a rare case of cervical thymic cyst in the lower left - anterior of the neck in a 50-year-old woman. It showed well-defined, anechoic cyst on ultrasonography and non-enhancing low attenuation mass on CT. A typical anatomic relationship was noted between the mass and carotid sheath.  (+info)

First-trimester prenatal diagnosis of a thoracic cystic lesion associated with fetal skin edema. (2/99)

An unusual case of chest cyst diagnosed at the end of the first trimester in a dizygotic twin pregnancy and managed conservatively is reported. Between 11 and 14 weeks of gestation, ultrasound revealed a relatively large echopoor lung cyst occupying the left side of the chest, displacing the mediastinum and the heart. This was associated with increased nuchal translucency thickness and generalized skin edema. Subsequent sonograms showed complete resolution of the cyst together with the skin edema. The fetuses were delivered at term and had an uncomplicated postnatal outcome. This case emphasizes the role of reduced venous return as a cause of early fetal hydrops. Diagnosis and follow-up of a congenital lung cyst from the end of the first trimester should enable early intervention to be made.  (+info)

Surgical pathology of cystic lesions of the mediastinum. (3/99)

BACKGROUND: Mediastinal cysts are uncommonly encountered in a pathologist's experience. AIMS: To study the incidence, location, clinical presentation and histologic subtypes of cysts in the mediastinum. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cystic lesions of the mediastinum, surgically excised over a period of 22 years were studied after retrieval of relevant clinical data and slides. RESULTS: Thirty-nine mediastinal cysts were encountered in the study period. Most of the patients (81.5 %) were symptomatic. Histologically, foregut cysts (19 cases, 50 %) were the most common followed by teratomatous cysts (ten cases, 26.3 %) and thymic cysts (four cases, 10.5 %). Bronchogenic cysts represented 63 % of the fore-gut cysts. Unusual lesions in the form of cystic mediastinal tuberculous lymphadenitis and cystic schwannoma were seen in three patients. CONCLUSIONS: Despite varied location and histology, clinical presentation of mediastinal cysts are similar. Surgical intervention is the preferred line of management.  (+info)

Cervical thymic cyst: report of a case and review of the literature. (4/99)

Congenital thymic cysts are uncommon and often misdiagnosed as either branchial cleft or cystic hygromas. This paper presents the case of a male child, who presented with a soft, fluctuating mass in the left side of his neck. Surgical excision revealed an ectopic thymic cyst. The histopathologic features of thymic cysts are diagnostic. Ectopic thymic tissue may be an infrequent finding, but it should be included in the differential diagnosis of neck masses, especially in children.  (+info)

Thymoma and multiple thymic cysts in a dog with acquired myasthenia gravis. (5/99)

An anterior mediastinal cystic lesion in an 11-year-old mongrel dog was examined. The dog showed dysbasia and vomiting due to megaoesophagus, and anterior mediastinal round mass lesion, approximately 35 mm in diameter, was found by X ray. Based on clinical examinations, the dog was diagnosed as acquired myasthenia gravis and was successfully controlled by anticholinesterase treatment for approximately 4 months. The dog died of thermic stroke and was necropsied. Grossly, fatty tissues with cysts containing yellowish fluid and white nodules were found in the anterior mediastinal area. Histopathologically, multiple cysts, neoplastic tissues, and atrophic thymus were found within the examined tissues. The cysts were lined by thin wall consisting of ciliated long cuboidal and non-ciliated round cells and were filled with eosinophilic colloidal fluid. Some extended cysts contained neoplastic foci within their lumen and walls. The neoplastic tissues consisted of mixed population of large epithelial cells with abundant clear cytoplasm and large oval nuclei, and lymphocytes. Immunohistochemically, proliferating epithelial cells were intensely positive for keratin and cytokeratin, and more than half number of infiltrating lymphocytes were intensely positive for CD3 suggesting T cells. All these findings indicate the neoplastic lesion is thymoma and multiple cysts are considered as thymic or brachial cleft cysts.  (+info)

MR findings in pericardial hydatid cyst. (6/99)

Pericardial hydatid cyst is rare. We present a 32-year-old man with a pericardial hydatid cyst. Chest x-ray film showed a spherical mass located left mediastinum. A pericardial cyst with low signal intensity was noted on T1 weighted magnetic resonance (MR) images. The cyst had high signal intensity, but signal intensity of folded parasitic membranes in the cyst were seen lower intensity on T2 weighted MR images. Based on these MR findings, pericardial hydatid cyst was diagnosed. The patient underwent surgical removal of the cyst. Histologic study of the cyst confirmed hydatid cyst diagnosis.  (+info)

Pathological analysis of congenital cervical cysts in children: 20 years of experience at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital. (7/99)

BACKGROUND: Congenital cervical cysts are frequently encountered in pediatric populations, and constitute one of the most intriguing areas of pediatric pathology. This report analyzes cervical cysts in Taiwanese children diagnosed at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital (CGMH) over the past 20 years. The pathologic and clinical findings are reviewed. METHODS: Files on 331 patients under the age of 18 years, with a diagnosis of congenital cervical cyst at CGMH from January 1, 1983 to June 30, 2002, were retrieved from the Department of Pathology. There were 204 boys and 127 girls. We reviewed the histology of all cases and correlated it with clinical information in the medical records. RESULTS: Thyroglossal duct cysts, the most common congenital neck cyst, accounted for 54.68% of all cases, followed by cystic hygromas (25.08%), branchial cleft cysts (16.31%), bronchogenic cysts (0.91%), and thymic cysts (0.30%). Nine cases (2.72%) remained unclassified. CONCLUSIONS: This is the largest series regarding pediatric cervical cysts in the literature to date. Thyroglossal duct cysts were the most common congenital cervical cyst encountered. Our experience indicates that each type of cyst has its unique location in the neck and is highly associated with its embryonic origin. Complete and precise clinical information is a prerequisite in order for pathologists to make accurate diagnoses of congenital cervical cysts.  (+info)

Rhabdomyomatous multilocular thymic cyst. (8/99)

The thymus is the seat of a diverse array of pathologic conditions given its embryologic roots. Multilocular thymic cysts, although well described, are uncommon, and one associated with rhabdomyomatous elements has not been described previously. A 15-year-old boy complained of sudden-onset chest pain of a month's duration, but was otherwise well. Chest radiographs localized the mass to the anterior mediastinum, arising from the thymus. A computed tomography scan demonstrated the lesion to be a multilocular fluid-containing cyst. A large, 15-cm cyst contiguous with the thymus was removed. Histologic evaluation confirmed a multilocular cyst lined mainly by mucinous epithelium with focal areas of ciliated and squamous lining. A prominent finding was skeletal muscle elements in the form of spider cells, strap-like cells, and foci reminiscent of fetal-type muscle with cross-striations. At the periphery of the cyst, thymic tissue with branching ducts and Hassall corpuscles were noted. No evidence of skin and/or its appendage structures, cartilage, or other differentiated tissue was seen despite generous sampling of the specimen. The muscle elements, most likely, were derived from thymic myoid cells, while the multilocular cyst arose from remnants of the thymomedullary system.  (+info)