Isolated intra-abdominal esophageal cyst. Case report and review of the literature.

We describe the first case of an isolated intra-abdominal esophageal cyst. The cyst was unilocular, smooth-surfaced, and attached to the superior border of the pancreas, and it contained clear mucoid material. The gross and in situ features most closely resemble four previously reported cases of isolated intra-abdominal bronchogenic cyst. Histologically, the cyst contained a simple and pseudostratified, ciliated, mucus-secreting, columnar epithelium and a wall composed of two distinct layers of smooth muscle. Both bronchogenic cysts and esophageal cysts may have ciliated epithelium; however, the presence of two smooth-muscle layers, along with the absence of cartilage or respiratory glands, allows for a definitive diagnosis of esophageal cyst.