Instances of first branchial cleft anomalies are quite uncommon. A patient with a first branchial cleft cyst was seen and surgically treated at UCLA Hospital in 1972. Three years later he developed a similar lesion on the opposite side of his neck and this also was surgically excised. A review of the literature has revealed only one prior report of bilateral first branchial cleft anomalies. The embryogenesis, diagnosis, and surgical management of these lesions are discussed in this paper.
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