Epidermoid Cyst of the Central Nervous System with Marked Lipid Content

Excerpt

Intracranial epidermoid and dermoid cysts are congenital lesions that represent abnormal embryonic remnants, resulting from epithelial tissue within the neural groove, that are included in its folding to form the neural tube. While epidermoid and dermoid cysts have similar embryonic origins, they have different histological characteristics and clinical significance. Epidermoid cysts classically have a stratified squamous epithelial lining, similar to the structure of the epidermis. Dermoid cysts are similar but their lining includes skin accessory structures such as hair follicles and sweat glands. The incidence of epidermoid and dermoid cysts is not well known, though it is estimated that they collectively comprise 0.5–2 % of all intracranial tumors [7] with epidermoid cysts being four times more common than dermoid cysts. Intracranial lipomas are not true neoplasms, but congenital malformations that are thought to arise from abnormal development of the embryonic meninx primitiva. Intracranial lipomas comprise < 1 % of all intracranial tumors. We are presenting a unique case of a pathologically proven epidermoid cyst that was a diagnostic imaging challenge, as its imaging characteristics were more typical of a dermoid cyst or lipoma. …