Degenerative thyroid cartilage cysts as a cause of hoarseness: Report of 2 cases

Cysts located in the thyroid cartilage proper are rare. A literature review identified only 4 cases.^1-4 Three of the cysts were lined by respiratory epithelium^2-4 and were thought to be the result of mucosal herniation through a congenital foramen. Burgess and Yim¹ reported a case of a true degenerative thyroid cartilage cyst. We describe 2 patients with degenerative thyroid cartilage cysts who presented with hoarseness and a history of neck trauma. In both cases, findings of an endoscopic biopsy were consistent with benign degenerative cartilage. We compare our surgical management in these cases - an open neck exploration with extirpation of the cyst in the first case, and an endoscopic marsupialization of the cyst in the second case - and discuss why we would favor the latter approach in a future case. We also briefly discuss the potential pathogenesis of these degenerative cysts.