title: Posterior mediastinal branchial cleft cyst: an unusual site.
abstract: A two and a half year old Kenyan girl presented with recurrent chest infections and difficulty in swallowing. Her clinical and laboratory workup was suggestive of lower respiratory tract infection for which she received a course of antibiotics; however, she remains symptomatic after the management of her suspected diagnosis. Therefore, further radiological workup including a chest CT scan and barium study were performed. This showed a homogeneous mass surrounded by ascending and descending aorta in the posterior mediastinum that was compressing the middle esophagus. She had a posterolateral thoracotomy which revealed a cystic mass with smooth surfaces (5x5 cm) in the posterior mediastinum. Histopathology showed branchial cleft cyst predominately lined by stratified squamous epithelium, with lymphocytes predominance. A final diagnosis of posterior mediastinal branchial cleft cyst was made. She was discharged home and remained well at follow-up.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, The Aga Khan University, Karachi.
authors.forename: Abdul
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rashid
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, The Aga Khan University, Karachi.
authors.forename: Vaqas
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Ahmad
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, The Aga Khan University, Karachi.
authors.forename: Saqib
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Qazi
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, The Aga Khan University, Karachi.
authors.forename: Abdul Gaffar
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Billoo
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Shaheed Mohatarma Benazir Bhutto Medical College, Lyari, Karachi.
authors.forename: Sajida
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rashid
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, The Aga Khan University, Karachi.
authors.forename: Ali Faisal
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Saleem
mesh_terms: D001935:Branchioma / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008476:Mediastinal Cyst / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D008482:Mediastinum / Q000473:pathology*; D013908:Thoracotomy; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D016896:Treatment Outcome