Cysts of the Head and Neck Region: Analysis of 189 Cases Seen and Managed at a Tertiary Healthcare Facility in NorthwesternNigeria

Abstract

Background: Cysts of the head and neck region are frequently encountered in head and neck clinical practice. The majority of these lesions are derived from remnants of cells of developmental origin. This study aimed to present the pattern of clinical presentation and management of cystic lesions of the head and neck region.

Material and Method: This was a retrospective study conducted using a ten-year record of patients. After obtaining ethical approval from the institution’s research and ethics committee, all cases of cysts of the head and neck region seen and managed were included, whereas those cases with poor documentation were excluded. Patient’s sociodemographic, main complaint, site and type of the cyst, available imaging, treatment, and outcome were recorded. Data obtained were analysed using IBM SPSS (version 25).

Result: There were 118 (62.4%) males and 71 (37.6%) females in the age range of 7 months to 55 years and a median age of 20 years. The majority of the cysts 58 (30.7%) were seen in the 2nd decade, and mandible 77 (40.7%) was the commonest site. Dentigerous 40 (21.2%) constitutes the commonest cystic lesion diagnosed. Plain radiographs (60.3%) were the commonest available imaging. The treatment procedures include jaw resection, cystic enucleation, enucleation with peripheral ostectomy, and surgical excision of the non-epithelial lesion. All patients were without the disease during the immediate followup, and the majority were lost to follow-up.

Conclusion: Cysts of the head and neck region are a diverse group of lesions occurring in several anatomical locations, with the mandible as the commonest affected site. Dentigerous cyst was the commonest, followed by odontogenic keratocyst.