BACKGROUND The thymus develops from the third pharyngeal pouch and descends from the neck into the anterior-superior mediastinum. Thus, it is possible to have thymic remnants in the neck, which most often present as a cervical mass during childhood. One type of cystic thymic remnant is the thymopharyngeal duct cyst, a remnant of one of the paired tracts of embryological thymic descent. Thymopha...

The clinical, MR imaging, surgical, and histologic findings in two cases of cystic aberrant cervical thymus were reviewed. Aberrant cervical thymic tissue was sharply circumscribed and extended deep to the posterior pharyngeal wall at the level of the piriform sinus in both cases. Both lesions had cyst contents that were of increased signal intensity on T1-weighted images. Solid components disp...

Cervical thymic masses are congenital lesions that result from aberrant thymic migration during embryogenesis. Most of these masses are asymptomatic. Rarely cervical thymus becomes symptomatic with encroachment on adjacent aerodigestive structures. It should be considered in the differential diagnosis of neck masses, especially in children. Most cases are clinically misinterpreted as branchial ...

Cervical thymic cysts (CTCs) are unusual lesions, representing only 1% of cystic cervical masses. Diagnosis of this condition in adults is even rarer. We report a 34-year-old female who presented with asymptomatic progressively growing left-sided neck swelling. Neck ultrasound (US) showed a large cystic lesion with septation, compressing the ipsilateral vessels. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)...

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 y...