Right paratracheal air cysts in the thoracic inlet: clinical and radiologic significance.

Paratracheal Air Cysts: A Common Finding on Routine CT Examinations of the Cervical Spine and Neck That May Mimic Pneumomediastinum in Patients With Traumatic Injuries

“…In fact, some of these cysts have multiple narrow connections with the trachea. In our study, we found a communication with the trachea 35% of the time compared with the previously reported finding of a connection in 8%, 1 probably because of the increased resolution in CT scanning that has occurred since the previous study. We believe that at least most, if not all, of these lesions are, in fact, tracheal diverticula.…”

“…Previous reports suggested an association with obstructive lung disease and emphysema from weaknesses in the right posterior lateral wall of the trachea at the level of the thoracic inlet because of increased expiratory pressures in these patients. 1 However, several case reports have described congenital right-sided tracheal diverticula in children with recurrent respiratory tract infections or with other congenital respiratory tract abnormalities such as bronchomalacia of the right upper lobe bronchus 2 or with cystic adenomatoid malformation. 3 It has also been reported that tracheal diverticula can be a rare cause of chronic cough.…”

Paratracheal cyst rupture: a differential diagnosis for tracheal rupture

“…3 Some reports suggest an association with obstructive lung disease and emphysema, due to weakness in the right lateral posterior wall of trachea, at the thoracic inlet level, because of increased expiratory pressures in these type of patients, 3 but there are also studies that did not find any relationship between them. 4 The term paratracheal cyst is very unspecific for an air collection.…”

“…Apparently they are nothing more than tracheal diverticula, lined by ciliated columnar epithelia, some of them with one or multiple narrow connections to the trachea. 3 Probably because of the increased resolution in CT scanning, the incidence of communications with trachea varies from 8% to 35%. 3,4 Tracheal right-sided paratracheal air cysts may be unilocular or multilocular.…”

Tracheal diverticulum: an unusual cause of chronic cough and recurrent respiratory infections

“…The majority of patients remain asymptomatic throughout the life and seldom diagnosed ante mortem, probably the reason for scant published literature for this entity. Tracheal diverticulum is often an incidental finding in the postmortem examination, reported in upto 1% of patients (1). Sometimes this may act as a reservoir for respiratory secretions that may spill-over into the tracheo-bronchial tree, causing repeated secondary infections and then presents with cough, dyspnea, stridor, throat irritation and chronic/ recurrent chest infections and may confuse with other etiologies like diseases of the digestive tract, vascular anomalies and pulmonary tuberculosis (2).…”