This Article  • Full text  • PDF  • Reply to article  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Related article  • Similar articles in this journal  Topic Collections  • General Rhinology  • Radiology of Head & Neck  • Alert me on articles by topic

Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2003;129:1138.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

Diagnosis: Thornwaldt cyst

The incidence of Thornwaldt cyst is reported to be between 0.2% on magnetic resonance imaging,¹ often detected as an incidental finding, and 4% of normal autopsy specimens.² The peak age at onset is 15 to 30 years, with no reported sex predilection. Typically, the cyst is unilobular but may be multilobular and, if large, can extend from the midline.

Embryologically, the pharyngeal bursa/Thornwaldt bursa represents a persistent communication between the roof of the nasopharynx and the notochord.³ The notochord is a midline collection of cells that aids embryonic long-axis and neural plate development. In the 6-week-old embryo, the process of notochord regression usually occurs in continuity with the development of the sphenoidal and basioccipital bones. When it occurs in communication with the pharyngeal epithelium, a potential space may be created. Obstruction of this diverticulum leads to the formation of a Thornwaldt cyst.

The most common clinical symptom associated with nasopharyngeal . . . [Full Text of this Article]

RELATED ARTICLE

Radiology Quiz Case
Liam J. Skinner, Michael P. Colreavy, John F. Griffin, and Hugh P. Burns
Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2003;129(10):1137-1138.
EXTRACT | FULL TEXT