Abstract
Four nonfunctioning parathyroid cyst are reported in this article. In the Japanese literature only 78 cases have been reported.
Three women and one man, aged 41 to 79 years, presented with an asymptomatic neck mass thought to originate from the parathyroid gland. The lesions ranged in size from 37 to 77 mm in length. All were located on the left side of the neck. None of the patients had symptoms of hyperparathyroidism. In all cases, water-clear fluid was aspirated from the neck mass. The level of parathyroid hormone in the cyst fluid was greatly elevated. In 3 patients the cyst was excised; one patient was followed conservatively after aspiration.
It is emphasized that needle aspiration of water-clear fluid high in parathyroid hormone is diagnostic and may be curative in some cases.
