[A case of bronchogenic cyst of the esophagus]

A case of bronchogenic cyst in the lower end of the mediastinal esophagus was reported. A 46 years old man had an abnormal mass shadow at the right cardiophrenic angle revealed by the annual X-ray examination. A 5.5 X 4.5 X 5 cm sized intramurally located tumor was successfully removed. As it was a monolocular cyst that microscopically lined with ciliated columnar epithelium and contained cartilage in the wall, but that was not covered by two muscle layers, the cyst was diagnosed as bronchogenic. The post-operative course was uneventful. The authors discussed the differential diagnosis of this lesion, especially about cysts which were situated in the esophagus. To avoid confusion, a certain diagnostic criteria based on the histological findings was suggested.