Complete fistula of the second branchial cleft: case report of catheter-aided total excision.

The authors report an extremely rare case of complete fistula of the second branchial cleft, with an external opening in the skin and an internal opening in the oropharyngeal mucosa. A 13-year-old girl presented with the complaint of intermittent drainage from the right side of her neck, a problem that had existed since birth. Fistulography revealed a complete fistula of the second branchial cleft. Before surgical excision, a 4-F catheter and a 0.018-in guide-wire were inserted into the external opening of the fistula and passed through to the tonsillar region under fluoroscopic guidance. The infrahyoid segment and parapharyngeal segment of the fistula were then excised through first- and second-step neck incisions, respectively. In this case, tonsillectomy was not necessary. Pathological examination of the wall of the fistula revealed lymphoid tissue containing lymphoid follicles. This report describes a technique in which complete excision of a fistula of the second branchial arch is facilitated by placing a catheter in the tract.