Parapharyngeal branchial cleft cyst presenting with cranial nerve palsies.

The authors report a case of branchial cleft cyst for which the location and presentation of the lesion were unusual. This abnormality should be considered in the differential diagnosis of cystic lesions of the parapharyngeal space. The presence of multiple cranial nerve palsies in association with a mass in this region does not necessarily indicate a neoplastic lesion.