title: A case of cystic schwannoma in the neck masquerading as branchial cleft cyst.
abstract: One-third of schwannomas occur in head and neck region, mostly in the parapharyngeal region. Cystic change is seen in only 4% of schwannomas. The diagnosis of such tumors remains a challenge due to the rarity of these lesions and limited utility of fine needle aspiration cytology. When cystic, branchial cleft cyst is an important differential diagnosis more so due to radiological resemblance. We present a case of 42-year-old male with left sided neck mass masquerading as branchial cleft cyst clinically and radiologically. Multiple sections examined from the cystic areas of the mass revealed lymphoid aggregates beneath the cyst wall in addition to the schwannomatous areas.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Maulana Azad Medical College, Lok Nayak Hospital , New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: Sangita
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bohara
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Maulana Azad Medical College, Lok Nayak Hospital , New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: Biswajit
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Dey
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Maulana Azad Medical College, Lok Nayak Hospital , New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: Swapnil
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Agarwal
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Maulana Azad Medical College, Lok Nayak Hospital , New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: Richa
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gupta
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Maulana Azad Medical College, Lok Nayak Hospital , New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: Nita
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Khurana
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Maulana Azad Medical College, Lok Nayak Hospital , New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: Achal
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gulati
keywords: branchial cyst; cystic schwannoma; lymphoid aggregates