Case 2
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| This is a branchial cyst (branchial cleft cyst), a type of epidermoid cyst lined by squamous epithelium (sometimes respiratory or columnar) and with abundant adjacent lymphoid tissue, that arises in the branchial (pharyngeal) clefts, or pouches, which are embryologic remnants found in the region of the anterolateral neck. Cysts arising in the first branchial cleft appear beneath the posterior half of the mandible. Those arising in the second cleft (as in this case) appear in the mid-neck anterior to sternocleidomastoid muscle, and those arising in third and fourth clefts are found in the lower neck. Such lesions can expand slowly with time, causing local discomfort. On occasion they become secondarily infected. They are easily excised. If the squamous epithelium were malignant, the lesion would be a lymph node metastasis of squamous cell carcinoma.
| Our winner is: Alejandro Salinas Vieyra of Guadalupe, Zacatecas, MEXICO
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