Publication:

Cystic schwannoma of cervical sympathetic chain masquerading as type II second branchial cleft cyst

Brachial cleft cyst is the most common differential diagnosis of benign lateral neck swelling but other cystic swellings like carotid body tumours and cystic schwannomas should be kept in mind. MRI of neck is of great assistance in determining the nature of the swelling as fine needle aspiration cytology will fail in diagnosing such swellings accurately. We present a case of 22 year old female who presented with a slow growing swelling which was diagnosed as brachial cyst on FNAC and CT but turned out to be cystic schwannoma of cervical sympathetic chain which highlights the importance of considering various differentials of lateral neck swelling and limitation of FNAC and importance of pre-operative MRI in such cases.