A rare case of branchial cleft cyst

Branchial cleft cyst abnormalities account for approximately 20% of the congenital neck and head abnormalities. There are four types of branchial cleft cyst. The incidence rates of types I, II, III, and IV are 8%, 95%, 2%, and 1-4 %, respectively, with just 100 reported cases. Type IV is reported very rarely in previous investigations; however, the patient in this survey suffered from type IV. In addition, one of the differential diagnoses of the thoracic inlet masses can be considered the branchial cyst type IV, which can occur in the fifth decade without any presentation. In spite of the results obtained from previous studies regarding the incidence of this condition on the second to fourth decades of life, this case occurred in the fifth decade of a female's life. Branchial cleft cysts are diagnosed using MRI and CT scans; however, CT scan was utilized in this case report. Surgery is the choice treatment for branchial cleft. Moreover, the incidence rate of the relapse is scarce implying the remaining of a piece of tract’s epithelial lining which is more common in the patients who suffered from an infectious lesion.