Retention Cyst in the Cervical Esophagus —Report of a Case and Literature Review—

Abstract

A 53-year-old woman presented to our hospital with a 2-year history of dysphagia. A barium esophagogram showed a filling defect and a gastrointestinal endoscopy revealed a soft and smooth faced submucosal mass in the cervical esophagus. Contrast-enhanced chest CT scan revealed a cystic mass without enhancement effect in the cervical esophagus. FDG-PET showed no abnormal uptake of FDG. The mass was surgically excised by cervical esophagotomy. The resected specimen showed a multilocular cyst that measured 64 by 22 mm containing viscous fluid and was histophathologically diagnosed as a retention cyst of the esophageal gland. Esophageal cyst is rare and its incidence is reported to be one of 8,200 cases by an autopsy study. Esophageal cysts are predominantly congenital cysts such as duplication and bronchogenic cysts, and acquired cysts or esophageal retention cysts are extremely rare. This is only the 9th case of esophageal retention cyst. We present a case report and literature review.