[Aberrant heterotopic salivary gland in a lateral neck cyst]

An extra aberrant salivary gland located in a branchial cyst is presented. The branchial cysts are usually the result of a transformation disturbance of the branchial clefts and arches, or are cystic changes of the lymph nodes. The above finding can possibly be interpreted if we suppose that an aberrant salivary gland located in a lymph node can develop a cyst. The theory that branchial cysts originate from lymph nodes is encouraged by our case. This theory can also support the existence of unusual tumours in the neck, e.g. adenolymphomas. The content of these cysts can be easily approximately estimated via computed tomography.