Abstract

Enteric cysts are rare congenital mediastinal lesions. They are usually hollow or tubular, epithelium-lined structures attached to the gastrointestinal tract. During the embryonic stage, enteric cysts are supposed to derive from an anomaly in primitive foregut development. Of all enterogenic cysts, 7% to 20% are located in the chest. Thoracic enteric cysts are 1-2% of mediastinal cysts. These cysts are commonly located in the right posterior mediastinum and rarely isolated. A 17-day-old male baby presented with respiratory distress and was diagnosed with a large posterior mediastinal cystic mass. The cyst was completely excised through a right posterolateral thoracotomy. Histopathological study of the cyst was consistent with enteric cyst. In this report, a baby with serious respiratory distress arising from a giant isolated enteric cyst was discussed in the light of literature data.