Bronchogenic cysts are considered rare airway anomalies that can have a significant impact on the well-being of infants. In this case report, we present a rare presentation of bronchogenic cyst presenting with early neonatal respiratory distress due to airway and vascular compression. Surgical excision was curative with an excellent prognosis.

We describe a multicystic tumor of the atrial septum associated with a fatal cardiac malformation. The tumor contained bronchogenic cysts and two types of vascular hamartomas. A complex form of double outlet right ventricle was present. We speculate that this tumor formed at a critical time in cardiac embryogenesis and contributed to the abnormal formation of the heart.

We report a patient with a mediastinal cyst compressing the left atrium that was diagnosed prenatally by fetal echocardiography. Postnatally, attempted aspiration guided by computerized tomography was unsuccessful. Because of respiratory distress, the cyst was removed surgically. Pathological examination revealed a bronchogenic cyst.

Bronchogenic cysts are rare, benign, congenital lesions that occur as a result of aberrant development of the tracheobronchial tree during embryogenesis. They usually present during the first decade of life and are encountered predominantly within the mediastinum or the lung parenchyma. In a few instances, they appear within the neck mimicking a neoplasm and, depending on their size and site, may also cause acute upper respiratory obstruction. We describe a case of two cervical bronchogenic cysts adjacent to the larynx in a child who presented with a hoarse voice.

Congenital cysts of the neck are not uncommon. Most of these are thyroglossal, branchial cleft and thymic cysts. Bronchogenic cysts are uncommon developmental anomalies of the tracheobronchial tree and rarely occur in the neck. More than 70 cases of bronchogenic cysts in the head and neck region have been reported in the literature. We report three cases presenting with neck swelling in the hyoid region that were diagnosed as bronchogenic cysts based on clinical and histopathological findings.

Abnormal cilia were demonstrated in the lining epithelial cells of three cases of intraspinal endodermal (bronchogenic) cyst. The changes comprised a wide spectrum of ultrastructural abnormalities, including (a) cilia with abnormal axonemal microtubules, (b) swollen cilia, (c) compound cilia with or without excessive ciliary matrix, (d) naked cilia without limiting membrane, and (e) intracytoplasmic cilia and aggregates of microtubules. Of these, compound cilia and swollen cilia were most common. Cilia with dynein arm deficiency were not observed. Ciliary abnormalities found in the present study were very similar to those described in the bronchial epithelium of various diseases. The present findings suggest that the lining epithelium of intraspinal endodermal cyst shares similar ciliogenesis and susceptibility to abnormal ciliary formation as that of the bronchial epithelium.