A right paratracheal air cyst caused by tracheal diverticula.
A 65-year-old woman presented with pain in her throat and neck. Thin-section computed tomography (CT) revealed an air-filled lesion at the right paratracheal region and two narrow connections to the trachea. Flexible bronchoscopy showed four diverticula 4-5 cm below the vocal cords in the right lateral part of the trachea. Consistent with the CT findings, two of the diverticula were deep. A radiological barium swallow study and an esopagogastroduodenal endoscopic examination revealed no abnormalities. We therefore believe that her right paratracheal air cyst is an extension of a tracheal diverticulum. Right-sided paratracheal air cysts at the level of the thoracic inlet are a common finding on CT and should not be confused with pneumomediastinum in order to avoid unnecessary examinations or treatments.
Internal Medicine, Nakano General Hospital, Tokyo.
Tomohide
T
Sato
Yuko
Y
Sasaki
Motohisa
M
Yamasaki
Mikayo
M
Aragaki
Sunao
S
Mae
Tetsuya
T
Irie
Yuki
Y
Sumi
D000368:Aged; D000388:Air; D001999:Bronchoscopy; D003560:Cysts / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D004240:Diverticulum / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014133:Tracheal Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging