Excision of cyst, vestige or fistula of branchial cleft

An abnormality of the branchial cleft is an abnormal formation of tissue inside the neck. These tissues can form pockets with fluids called cysts or channels that drain into an opening in the surface of the skin called a fistula. Generally, the branchial cleft abnormalities are found in the front of the sternocleidomastoid muscle, the cervical muscle that extends from the mastoid (a jaw bone) to the clavicle and sternum.