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Branchial cysts within the parotid salivary gland

Tahwinder Upile1,2,3*, Waseem Jerjes4,5,6, Mohammed Al-Khawalde7, Panagiotis Kafas8, Steve Frampton3, Angela Gray9, Bruce Addis9, Ann Sandison10, Nimesh Patel3, Holger Sudhoff11 and Hani Radhi5,6*

Author Affiliations

1 Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Chase Farm & Barnet NHS Trust, Enfield, UK

2 Head & Neck Unit, University College London Hospital, London, UK

3 ENT Department, Southampton General Hospitals, Southampton, UK

4 UCL Department of Surgery, University College London, London, UK

5 Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Unit, AL-Mustansirya University’s, Baghdad, Iraq

6 Department of Surgery, School of Dentistry, Al-Yarmouk University College, Baghdad, Iraq

7 Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Unit, Royal Medical Services, Amman, Jordan

8 Department of Oral Surgery and Radiology, School of Dentistry, Aristotle University, Thessalonica, Greece

9 Department of Pathology, Southampton General Hospital, Southampton, UK

10 Department of Pathology, Charring Cross Hospital, London, UK

11 Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Academic Teaching Hospital of University of Münster, Bielefeld, Germany

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Head & Neck Oncology 2012, 4:24 doi:10.1186/1758-3284-4-24

Published: 18 May 2012

Abstract

Cystic lesions within the parotid gland are uncommon and clinically they are frequently misdiagnosed as tumours. Many theories have been proposed as to their embryological origin. A 20-year retrospective review was undertaken of all pathological codes (SNOMED) of all of patients presenting with any parotid lesions requiring surgery. After analysis seven subjects were found to have histopathologically proven parotid branchial cysts in the absence of HIV infection and those patients are the aim of this review. Four of the most common embryological theories are also discussed with regard to these cases, as are their management.