GASTRIC CYST OF MEDIASTINUM - A DISTINCT CLINICOPATHOLOGICAL ENTITY

Gastric cysts of the mediastinum produce a distinct clinicopathological picture. The functional activity of the lining gastric mucosa causes numerous complications, which may suggest the diagnosis during the first year of life. The complications, which may be fatal, include draining sinuses in the chest wall and neck, erosion of upper thoracic vertebral bodies, and perforation and communication with the esophagus, tracheobronchial tree, or pulmonary parenchyma. Prompt surgical treatment is curative. Two cases, one of which was fatal, are reported here. The embryogenesis of the gastric cyst and its place in the group of cystic lesions derived from the foregut are defined. © 1969 The C. V. Mosby Company.