Respiratory epithelial cyst ventral to the brain stem. Report of a case and review of the literature.

Albrecht, S; Robertson, D P; Goodman, J C; Harper, R L · Arch Pathol Lab Med · 1992

case_report · Level V

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Abstract

We present the case of a 30-year-old woman who suddenly developed intense occipital headaches. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated a cyst located ventrally to the brain stem at the pontomedullary junction. The lesion was resected. Histologically, it was lined by a pseudostratified, ciliated, columnar epithelium indistinguishable from respiratory epithelium. Immunohistochemistry and electron microscopy confirmed the epithelial differentiation of the lining. This case is briefly compared with the few other brain-stem cysts presented in the literature and the concept of their "origin" is discussed.

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