- Congenital anomalies, arising in early embryonic development
- Most commonly small intestine
- Can be oesophagus, stomach, colon
- Oesophagus seen in 1:8000 live births
- 3 criteria
- Lay in wall of oesophagus
- Covered by two muscle layers
- Contain squamous epithelium
- Or lining compatible with tissue found in oesophagus
- Up to 1/3 contain heterotrophic gastric mucosa
- Can also have pancreatic mucosa or mucosa consistent with Peyer’s Patches
- 80% do not communicate with oesophageal lumen
- Others run in parallel and do communicate
- Most commonly on the right lateral portion of oesophagus
- Frequently cause symptoms (unlike in other parts of the GI tract)
- Because of this, most diagnosed before the age of 2
- Symptoms from compression
- Dysphagia
- Epigastric or retrosternal pain
- Respiratory symptoms (cough, stridor, wheeze)
- Surgically resect symptomatic cysts
- Malignancy rare but has been reported
