Fourth branchial cleft anomaly
Synonyms: Fourth branchial cleft cyst | Fourth branchial cleft fistula
A rare otorhinolaryngeal malformation characterized by a soft fluctuant mass abscess or draining tract along the anterior border of the lower half of sternocleidomastoid muscle occasionally leading to development of retropharyngeal absces acute suppurative thyroiditis stridor respiratory distress odynophagia and dysphagia. Anomaly occurs as a tract from the piriform sinus to the thyroid gland. A fourth branchial cleft fistula passes deep to the superior laryngeal nerve but superficial to the recurrent laryngeal nerve which is the main difference in comparison to the third branchial cleft fistula.
Data from Orphanet are used to provide information on a disease's name, synonym(s), and overview.
Reference: Access aggregated data from Orphanet at Orphadata.
Orphadata: Free access data from Orphanet. © INSERM 1999. Available on http://www.orphadata.org. Data version April 2024
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Fourth branchial cleft anomaly?
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