A bronchogenic cyst is a rare, abnormal growth of tissue that forms inside the chest, usually before birth. It is usually located in the space between the lungs called the mediastinum. Typically, bronchogenic cysts are filled with fluid or mucus. Most bronchogenic cysts are benign (not cancerous) and grow very slowly.
Doctors may discover a bronchogenic cyst at any time—before birth, during infancy or childhood, or later in adulthood—using special imaging tools.
Bronchogenic cysts can range in size from one to 12 centimeters (up to about five inches) in diameter. A small cyst may be the size of a pea (one centimeter) or a grape (three centimeters). When discovered before birth or during infancy, bronchogenic cysts can be very small and may grow larger as the child grows. Larger cysts may be the size of a lime (five centimeters) or even a grapefruit (10 centimeters).
Bronchogenic cysts form during fetal development, when the baby is growing in the mother’s womb. They’re rare. Researchers aren’t sure what causes them. They may form when the foregut (front of the digestive tract) does not develop in a typical way. Bronchogenic cysts appear in up to one in 68,000 individuals.
Many children and adults with bronchogenic cysts do not have symptoms. Their cysts may be undetected for many years.
However, if the cyst grows large, fills with mucus or becomes infected, it may press on the esophagus or other organs in the chest and lead to complications. People with an enlarged or infected bronchogenic cyst may have:
Children may develop these symptoms when the bronchogenic cyst has grown to between two and five centimeters (about an inch or two) in diameter.
When children or adults have symptoms like the ones listed above, doctors may order a CT (computed tomography) scan or MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scan. These imaging tools give doctors a three-dimensional picture of the chest. If they find a bronchogenic cyst, doctors will check its size and location.
Sometimes doctors discover bronchogenic cysts by chance, during routine chest X-rays or imaging tests for other medical issues the patient is experiencing.
Sometimes doctors may find a bronchogenic cyst on a prenatal ultrasound before the baby is born. They will monitor the cyst during pregnancy. If the cyst grows large or shows signs of complications, doctors may use fetal MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) to get more detailed pictures of the cyst. They will check to see if the cyst is causing problems for the unborn baby. Doctors will continue to monitor the cyst after the baby is born.
Most of the time, the treatment is surgery to remove the cyst. Before removing a bronchogenic cyst, doctors will consider each patient’s age, overall health, symptoms, and the size and location of the cyst. If the cyst is small and not causing problems, doctors might choose to delay surgery and monitor the cyst with imaging tests. Doctors will schedule the surgery and tailor their treatment plan to meet the needs of each patient.
If the child or adult is having symptoms of an infection such as a cough, shortness of breath, chest pain or recurrent respiratory infections, doctors will prescribe antibiotics to reduce the inflammation before surgery.
To remove a bronchogenic cyst, doctors may choose to do a minimally invasive procedure or open surgery. Minimally invasive methods, called thoracoscopic surgery or robotic-assisted surgery, allow surgeons to remove the cyst using tiny instruments and small incisions (cuts). In open surgery, the surgeon may use a larger incision (cut) than with minimally invasive surgery.
Surgeons choose their approach based on the cyst’s size and location and the size and needs of the patient. If the bronchogenic cyst is large and affects nearby tissues and organs, doctors may choose an open surgery approach that helps them reach and remove the cyst more easily.
In other cases, surgeons can remove bronchogenic cysts effectively using minimally invasive techniques. Benefits of minimally invasive techniques include faster recovery time and fewer complications than with open surgery. Also, patients may have less pain and less risk of damage to the chest wall (the bones and tissue that protect the heart and lungs).
Any surgery to remove a bronchogenic cyst may take a few hours. Typically, patients get general anesthesia (medicines that put them into a deep sleep so they do not feel pain).
Children usually recover quickly after surgery to remove bronchogenic cysts. Patients typically spend one night in the hospital. They get pain medication to treat soreness. If the cyst was attached to the esophagus, they may have temporary eating restrictions. Otherwise, most children feel better within a few days, particularly if they had minimally invasive procedures such as thoracoscopic surgery or robotic surgery. Patients who had open surgery (with a large incision or cut) may take a few weeks to heal. Adults may recover more slowly than children.
If doctors detect a bronchogenic cyst in the chest of an unborn baby, they will monitor the cyst during pregnancy. They’ll watch to see if it grows larger. If the cyst starts to press on the baby’s airway or another vital organ, fetal specialists will consider the best treatment. In rare cases, if the cyst is extremely large, fetal surgeons may drain the cyst while the baby is still in the mother’s womb. They will work to help ensure a safe delivery.
After birth, doctors probably will not remove the cyst right away unless it’s causing problems for the newborn. Instead, they’ll monitor the cyst’s size and location and wait until the baby grows bigger to remove it safely.
After surgery to remove a bronchogenic cyst, the doctor will see the patient for a follow-up visit to make sure they’re healing properly. With any surgery, there are risks of complications including:
Depending on the lab findings and the size of the cyst, the doctor may order more follow-up care. It’s rare, but there’s a slight chance that a bronchogenic cyst will turn cancerous later in life. That’s why many doctors recommend that bronchogenic cysts be removed.
There’s also a small chance that the cyst will return after surgery, but that’s rare too. If symptoms return, doctors may follow up with chest X-rays to see if the cyst has regrown.
Overall, doctors say both adults and children do very well after surgery to remove bronchogenic cysts. Their chance for a full recovery is very good.
Last Updated 08/2025
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