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Surgical pathology of cystic lesions of the mediastinum.

BACKGROUND
Mediastinal cysts are uncommonly encountered in a pathologist's experience.


AIMS
To study the incidence, location, clinical presentation and histologic subtypes of cysts in the mediastinum.


MATERIALS AND METHODS
Cystic lesions of the mediastinum, surgically excised over a period of 22 years were studied after retrieval of relevant clinical data and slides.


RESULTS
Thirty-nine mediastinal cysts were encountered in the study period. Most of the patients (81.5 %) were symptomatic. Histologically, foregut cysts (19 cases, 50 %) were the most common followed by teratomatous cysts (ten cases, 26.3 %) and thymic cysts (four cases, 10.5 %). Bronchogenic cysts represented 63 % of the fore-gut cysts. Unusual lesions in the form of cystic mediastinal tuberculous lymphadenitis and cystic schwannoma were seen in three patients.


CONCLUSIONS
Despite varied location and histology, clinical presentation of mediastinal cysts are similar. Surgical intervention is the preferred line of management.