Cylindrical waveguides without end surfaces can serve as two-dimensional resonant cavities. In such cavities the electromagnetic oscillations corresponding to an eigenfrequency can always be taken as TM or TE modes even when the walls have a finite conductivity and the medium is absorptive. This paper obtains analytic solutions to the field equations when the cylinder has a circular cross section. Some nonperturbative conclusions are drawn from the eigenvalue equation. Approximate analytic results for the resonant frequencies are obtained when the absorption of the medium is small and the walls are good conductors. Stability of the eigen modes is discussed. Similar results for the coaxial line are presented. Cylindrical waveguides without end surfaces can serve as two-dimensional resonant cavities. In such cavities the electromagnetic oscillations corresponding to an eigenfrequency can always be taken as TM or TE modes even when the walls have a finite conductivity and the medium is absorptive. analytic solutions to the field equations when the cylinder has a circular cross section. Some nonperturbative results are the from the eigenvalue equation. of the eigen modes are discussed. Similar results for the coaxial line are presented.