Endocrine Abstracts

Background: Branchial cleft cysts account for almost 20 percent of pediatric neck masses. They are usually present in late childhood or early adulthood, when a previously unrecognized cyst becomes infected. First branchial cleft cysts typically appear on the face near the auricle. Second branchial cleft cysts are the most common and they are usually located just inferior to the angle of the mandible and anterior to the sternocleidomastoid muscle. Third branchial cleft cysts ar...