DOI: 10.36347/sjmcr.2015.v03i02.003

Pages: 79-81

Cyst of the lateral neck is a common clinical condition frequently diagnosed as branchial cyst in adults. In older individuals they may be secondary to cystic changes in metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of cervical lymph nodes with primary in upper aero digestive tract. Infrequently thyroid malignancies can have metastatic secondaries in lateral neck with cystic changes though primary tumor in such cases is clinically evident. We present a case of cystic swelling in a young female in the lateral neck diagnosed as branchial cyst on repeated fine needle aspiration cytology and found out to be metastasis from occult papillary carcinoma of thyroid gland on histopathological examination. We also discuss management of such clinical presentations.