Cysts of the nasopharynx

Is That Another Thornwaldt's Cyst on M.R.I.?

“…false cord, laryngeal ventricle, base of tongue, nasopharynx. In the nasopharynx, they are usually less than 5 mm in diameter, sometimes multiple, and project into the lumen (Guggenheim 1967). Adenoid retentioddegenerative cysts can occur in the general region of the pharyngeal bursa and as such can be confused with a Thornwaldt's cyst especially if infected.…”

Imaging of nasopharyngeal cysts and bursae

“…Guggenheim [15] stipulated that the localization of the cyst compared with the pharyngobasilar fascia conditions its origin. Thus, cysts deriving from pharyngeal bursa are inevitably located below the pharyngobasilar fascia, whereas retention cysts are superficial and located above it.…”

“…Cysts with a mucinous content and a median or a lateral position in the nasopharynx [15] represent up to 55% of the cysts encountered on 120 necropsies [1]. The cyst consists of a pseudostratified ciliated epithelium and/or a squamous epithelium associated with a secreting mucous gland [1].…”

“…Retentional cysts are located above the pharyngobasilar fascia [36]. They range from a few millimeters to 20 mm [15,35] in size. MRI signal of mucous retention cysts is usually high on T2-and low on T1-weighted images (Fig.…”

Nasopharyngeal Cysts

“…However, due to the unique development of the nasopharynx, some authors argue that these cysts should be classified according to their relation to the pharyngobasilar fascia, which is the aponeurosis attachment of the superior constrictor muscle to the skull base [68]. This fascia is only penetrated by the eustachian tubes and the levator veli palatine muscles and is a tight barrier between the superficial and deep structures of the nasopharynx.…”