Thymopharyngeal duct cyst: MR imaging of a third branchial arch anomaly in a neonate

Third branchial arch anomalies are rare. The authors present a case report of a neonate with a rapidly growing neck mass due to cystic dilation of a persistent thymopharyngeal duct, which is a derivative of the third branchial arch. The presence of thyroid and thymic tissue in the cyst wall, the communication of the cyst with the piriform sinus, and the relationship of the cyst to carotid vessels and the sternomastoid muscle were consistent with the features of a thymopharyngeal duct cyst embedded in the thyroid gland.