General
=========================================================================

• Rare; mostly developmental unless due to cystic degeneration of tumor
• Simple cysts are epithelial lined; duplication cysts have 2 muscle layers (eMedicine, Arch Pathol Lab Med 1977;101:136)
• Either intramural or attached to outer layers of esophagus
• Often asymptomatic, even if large; may cause obstructive symptoms
• See also retention cysts

General
=========================================================================

• Often young women with dysphagia or chest pain during exercise (Clin Imaging 2006;30:309)
• Developmental cysts arise from anomalous budding of foregut bronchial structures; contains cartilage and mucus glands, smooth muscle and ciliated columnar epithelium

Case reports
=========================================================================

• 26 year old man with cystic lesion at lower esophagus (Dig Surg 2006;23:209)

Micro images
=========================================================================

Cyst lined by respiratory epithelium

General
=========================================================================

• Also called gastroenteric cyst, foregut cyst
• Congenital anomaly, usually lower esophagus
• Most are intramural; usually isolated anomaly; however, duplications external to esophageal wall may be associated with vertebral anomalies
• 90% do not communicate with esophagus
• Usually symptomatic causing dysphagia or respiratory difficulty

Case reports
=========================================================================

• 22 day old boy (Indian J Pathol Microbiol 2006;49:396)
• 2 infants with respiratory distress (Pediatr Emerg Care 2005;21:854)
• 14 year old boy with fistula to lung (Eur J Cardiothorac Surg 2000;18:117)
• 52 year old woman (Yonsei Med J 2005;46:859)
• 61 year old woman with squamous cell carcinoma (Br J Radiol 2003;76:343)

Treatment
=========================================================================

• Surgery (if symptoms) or possibly observation (Endoscopy 2005;37:870)

Clinical images
=========================================================================

Defect of the muscular layer

Micro description
=========================================================================

• Mucosa, submucosa and muscular layers similar to GI tract; lined by either esophageal squamous, gastric, primitive, ciliated columnar or small intestinal epithelium

Micro images
=========================================================================

Cyst wall

Squamous cell carcinoma

General
=========================================================================

• Lined by squamocolumnar epithelium, may be ciliated

This information is intended for physicians and related personnel, who understand that medical information is often imperfect, and must be interpreted in the context of a patient's clinical data using reasonable medical judgment. This website should not be used as a substitute for the advice of a licensed physician.

All information on this website is protected by copyright of PathologyOutlines.com, Inc. Information from third parties may also be protected by copyright. Please contact us at copyrightPathOut@gmail.com with any questions (click here for other contact information).