Nasopharyngeal branchial cleft cyst

Second branchial cleft cysts are almost always located in the neck; thus, their presence in the nasopharynx is extremely rare. A 44-year-old man was referred to our department because a cystic mass was fortuitously found in the right lateral nasopharyngeal wall during transnasal esophagogastroscopy. He had suffered from intermittent right-sided nasal obstruction since childhood. T1- and T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging revealed hyperintense signals. Marsupialization was performed by diode laser via an endoscopy-guided approach. No immediate postoperative complications occurred, and there was no recurrence 6 months following surgery. When a cystic lesion presents in the lateral nasopharynx, branchial cleft cyst should be considered in the differential diagnosis. In our experience, marsupialization by diode laser via an endoscopy approach is a safe and straightforward method of treating nasopharyngeal branchial cleft cyst, with no adverse effects. Copyright (c) 2012 Elsevier Taiwan LLC and the Chinese Medical Association. All rights reserved.