Branchial Region ; Branchioma/diagnosis* ; Humans ; Sleep ; Snoring

In branchial lymphoepithelial cyst (BLEC), which is also known as branchial cleft cyst, the remnants of a branchial arch develop into a cyst, causing swelling. The first case of BLEC in the parotid gland was reported by Hildebrant in 1895. Since then, BLEC in the parotid gland has continued to be reported, but in rare cases. A 45-year-old man presented to our hospital with a swelling of the left cheek of approximately 6 months’ duration. The patient underwent a superficial parotidectomy and was pathologically diagnosed with BLEC. Of note, this was the first case of non-human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-related BLEC of the parotid gland in South Korea. BLEC is a benign condition, but its treatment depends on the presence of HIV infection. In HIV-negative patients, BLEC does not require a further work-up to evaluate metastasis. Our case report describes the diagnosis and treatment of BLEC in a patient without HIV.
Branchial Region ; Branchioma ; Cheek ; Diagnosis ; HIV ; HIV Infections ; Humans ; Korea ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Parotid Gland ; Salivary Glands

Branchio-oto-renal (BOR) syndrome is a rare autosomal dominant disorder that is characterized by preauricular pits, branchial fistula, branchial cyst, hearing impairment, and kidney anomalies. Hearing impairment is the single most common feature of BOR syndrome, affecting 89% of patients. Preauricular pits (77%), kidney anomalies (66%), branchial fistula (63%), external auditory canal anomalies (41%) are also common. For most patients, BOR syndrome does not affect life expectancy. The major life-threatening feature of this condition is kidney dysfunction, which occurs with about 6% of kidney anomalies. Therefore, once BOR syndrome is recognized in a patient, careful evaluation to detect renal anomalies and treatment of any kidney involvement are necessary. No case reports of BOR syndrome involving adult-onset end-stage kidney disease have been published in the Korean medical literature. We report a case of end-stage kidney disease in a 19-year-old male patient with BOR syndrome, together with a review of the pertinent literature.
Branchio-Oto-Renal Syndrome* ; Branchioma ; Ear Canal ; Fistula ; Hearing Loss ; Humans ; Kidney ; Kidney Failure, Chronic ; Life Expectancy ; Male ; Renal Insufficiency* ; Young Adult

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Fourth branchial cleft cyst is a rare congenital anomaly which cause a recurrent cervical abscess. Complete excision of fourth branchial cleft cyst is difficult because of a complicated fistula tract. In addition to attempting chemocauterization with trichloroacetic acid (TCA) to avoid surgical complications, authors performed an electrocauterization to close internal opening of pyriform sinus. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We reviewed ten patients of fourth branchial cleft cyst underwent TCA chemocauterization and electrocauterization simultaneously. Clinical characteristics including patient informations, medical records, treatment results were analyzed retrospectively. RESULTS: Interval time until diagnosed with fourth branchial cleft cyst was variable from several days to decades. Five patients had a history of incision and drainage. Mean follow up period was 36.1 months and all patients were treated with no recurrence. CONCLUSION: TCA chemocauterization with electrocauterization can be a effective choice to reduce recurrence rate and ensure safety of patients of fourth branchial cleft cyst.
Abscess ; Branchial Region ; Branchioma ; Drainage ; Fistula ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Medical Records ; Pyriform Sinus ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies ; Trichloroacetic Acid

Branchio-oto-renal syndrome (BOR) is a rare autosomal dominant disorder. The features include branchial cysts, hearing loss, ear malformation, preauricular pits, retrognathia, congenital heart disease, and renal abnormalities. However, anesthetic management of these patients has seldom been reported. We report a case in which general anesthesia was performed for dental treatment in a patient with BOR. Airway management, renal function, and hemodynamic changes can be of critical concern during anesthetic management. A 13-year-old girl diagnosed with BOR had severe right hearing loss, right external ear malformation, renal abnormalities, and postoperative patent ductus arteriosus (PDA). Dental extraction under general anesthesia was scheduled for a supernumerary tooth. The procedure was completed with sufficient urine volume, adequate airway management, and stable hemodynamics.
Adolescent ; Airway Management ; Anesthesia, General ; Branchio-Oto-Renal Syndrome ; Branchioma ; Ductus Arteriosus, Patent ; Ear ; Ear, External ; Female ; Hearing Loss ; Heart Defects, Congenital ; Hemodynamics ; Humans ; Renal Insufficiency ; Retrognathia ; Tooth, Supernumerary

Cervical thymic cysts are rare lesions of neck mass often misdiagnosed clinically as branchial cleft cyst and are mostly diagnosed, pathologically after surgery. The authors applied surgical resection to a 34-year-old man with right upper neck mass, which was misdiagnosed preoperatively as a second branchial cleft cyst. The pathological tissue examination result showed that the patient was diagnosed with a cervical thymic cyst. The thymic cyst of the lateral neck has not been reported from adult in Korean. Herein, we present the case with review of the related literature.
Adult ; Branchial Region* ; Branchioma* ; Humans ; Mediastinal Cyst* ; Neck ; Thymus Gland

Branchial cleft anomalies are among the most common causes of congenital anterior neck masses in the pediatric population. They present as epithelial-lined, single cysts. The definitive management is surgical excision. However, failure to remove the entire cyst and tract may lead to recurrence of the mass.

Unusual presentations of this condition may lead to incomplete excision if inadequately evaluated. There is a scarcity of material documenting atypical presentations of branchial cleft anomalies-- in particular, presentation as 2 distinct cysts in one region. In our literature search of PubMed, Google Scholar and HERDIN using the terms: "congenital mass," "branchial cleft cyst," and "multiple cysts," only 3 similar cases were found.

We report a case of a second branchial cleft anomaly presenting as a dumbbell-shaped mass (two cystic structures, connected by a tubular structure) in the right lateral neck, the subsequent management and outcomes.

Human ; Female ; Child Preschool ; Branchioma ; Branchial Cleft Anomalies ; Branchial Region ; Pharyngeal Diseases ; Craniofacial Abnormalities ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local ; Head And Neck Neoplasms

The most widely accepted hypothesis about the origin of branchial cleft cysts (BCC) is developmental theory. The second most accepted is acquired inflammatory theory. A 57-year-old woman visited our department, presenting with a soft and well-margined round superficial mass in the lower midline neck. We performed an excisional biopsy to confirm the disease. The mass was located superficial to the sternohyoid without severe adhesion and abnormal communication. The pathology was proven to be BCC. We presumed that this is irrelevant to the established developmental theory, and a recurrent pharyngeal inflammation might lead to the transformation of aberrant epithelium into a cervical lymph node. We report rare and unusual type of BCC with a literature review. To the best of our knowledge, there have been two similar clinical cases that have been reported earlier.
Biopsy ; Branchial Region* ; Branchioma* ; Epithelium ; Female ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Lymph Nodes ; Middle Aged ; Neck* ; Pathology

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Traditionally, the surgical approach for the excision of second branchial cleft cysts involves performing a transverse cervical incision on the skin overlying the mass. Recently, there has been a significant interest on the cosmetic outcomes of this surgery, and it has been found that the retroauricular approach produces better results. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of a retroauricular approach for the excision of second branchial cleft cysts without the assistance of endoscopic or robotic system. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: From August 2013 to May 2016, a total of 12 patients with second branchial cleft cysts underwent surgery for the excision of the cyst via retroauricular approach, which involved an incision along the retroauricular sulcus and hairline. The surgical outcomes, complications, and subjective satisfaction with incision scars were assessed. RESULTS: In all 12 cases, the second branchial cleft cysts were removed successfully under direct vision and without the requirement of endoscopic assistance. The mean operation time was 80.3 min (range, 65-105 min). No significant complications were reported, such as skin flap necrosis, hematoma, seroma, or serious cranial nerve injury. The mean visual analogue scale score for subjective satisfaction with the incision scar was 8.8 (range, 7-10). CONCLUSION: The excision of second branchial cleft cysts via retroauricular approach without the assistance of endoscopic or robotic system is technically feasible and it provides a favorable cosmetic outcome.
Branchial Region* ; Branchioma* ; Cicatrix ; Cranial Nerve Injuries ; Hematoma ; Humans ; Methods ; Necrosis ; Seroma ; Skin

The authors report the clinical features of a huge retropharyngeal second branchial cyst in a 53-year-old woman. The patient showed acute exacerbation of dyspnea and dysphagia. On endoscopic examination and computed tomography (CT), a cyst-like lesion narrowing the oropharynx was observed in the right retropharyngeal space. However, a retropharyngeal abscess was also suspected on some CT images. A cystic mass was found and removed completely via exploration by trans-oral approach. According to the literature review, a branchial cleft anomaly mimicking retropharyngeal abscess is very rare.
Branchial Region ; Branchioma* ; Deglutition Disorders* ; Dyspnea* ; Female ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Oropharynx ; Pharynx ; Retropharyngeal Abscess