Aspects on the lateral fistulae and cysts of the neck

The usual opinion in the literature is that lateral neck fistulae originate from branchial arch remnants. According to current theories, lateral cervical cysts may either develop from the branchial apparatus or have other etiology. To examine this an investigation was carried out among the relatives of patients with complete fistulae, and 36 per cent fistulae were found among the kin. For lateral neck cysts it was not possible to detect any similar tendency. Histological review of the operation specimens showed that in half of the cases there was seromucus glandular tissue surrounding the fistulae but with regard to the cysts no such tissue was found. This supports the opinion that fistulae and cysts may have a different genesis.