PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Zachary J Cromar
AU  - Viraj N Shah
AU  - Brandon Kamrava
AU  - Kenneth R Nissim
AU  - Jaylou M Velez-Torres
TI  - Excision of rare adult cervical thymic cyst
AID  - 10.1136/bcr-2021-244187
DP  - 2021 Oct 01
TA  - BMJ Case Reports
PG  - e244187
VI  - 14
IP  - 10
4099  - http://casereports.bmj.com/content/14/10/e244187.short
4100  - http://casereports.bmj.com/content/14/10/e244187.full
SO  - BMJ Case Reports2021 Oct 01; 14
AB  - Cervical thymic cysts (CTCs) represent 1% of all cervical cystic masses. A review of the literature found that CTCs are typically asymptomatic, with a propensity to be left sided. CTCs often require histological evaluation for diagnosis. A 27-year-old male patient presented to an outpatient otolaryngology clinic with worsening bilateral jaw and neck pain and an incidental right-sided neck mass found on cervical MRI. Preoperative differential diagnosis included venolymphatic malformation versus branchial cleft cyst. Histological examination of the excised specimen provided diagnosis of a CTC. Postoperatively, the patient reported improvement in cervical pain. CTCs are a rare cause of lateral neck mass in young adults. Typical presentation included neck enlargement with no symptoms or in some cases compressive symptoms. It is important to consider CTCs when formulating a differential for a lateral neck mass.