BACKGROUND: Mediastinal cysts are uncommonly encountered in a pathologist′s experience. AIMS: To study the incidence, location, clinical presentation and histologic subtypes of cysts in the mediastinum. MATERIALS and METHODS: Cystic lesions of the mediastinum, surgically excised over a period of 22 years were studied after retrieval of relevant clinical data and slides. RESULTS: Thirty-nine mediastinal cysts were encountered in the study period. Most of the patients (81.5 %) were symptomatic. Histologically, foregut cysts (19 cases, 50 %) were the most common followed by teratomatous cysts (ten cases, 26.3 %) and thymic cysts (four cases, 10.5 %). Bronchogenic cysts represented 63 % of the fore-gut cysts. Unusual lesions in the form of cystic mediastinal tuberculous lymphadenitis and cystic schwannoma were seen in three patients. CONCLUSIONS: Despite varied location and histology, clinical presentation of mediastinal cysts are similar. Surgical intervention is the preferred line of management.