Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Case Reports
. 2012:3:10.
doi: 10.4103/2152-7806.92180. Epub 2012 Jan 21.

Dermoid tumor of the lateral wall of the cavernous sinus

Affiliations
Case Reports

Dermoid tumor of the lateral wall of the cavernous sinus

Rui Miguel Ferreria Rato et al. Surg Neurol Int. 2012.

Abstract

Background: Congenital intracranial dermoid tumors are very rare. The location of these dermoid lesions in the cavernous sinus and the complexity of the operative procedure for these lesions have been noted by several authors. Dermoid tumors originating in the cavernous sinus are usually interdural, and thus blurred vision is an uncommon presentation.

Case description: Herein we report the first incidental case of a cavernous sinus dermoid cyst in a 21-year-old woman.

Conclusions: A literature review was done and the possible treatments and approaches for this lesion are discussed. We consider that surgical treatment is indicated in most incidental cavernous sinus dermoid lesions due to the possible symptoms related to compression or rupture leading to chemical meningitis.

Keywords: Cavernous sinus; dermoid cyst; interdural.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Axial, coronal, and sagittal CT imaging showing a strong hypodense left parasellar region lesion (fat density) with no contrast enhancement or vasogenic edema
Figure 2
Figure 2
(a) Preoperative coronal T1-weighted MRI showing smooth contours and oval shape of the lesion and medial displacement of the intracavernous portion of the internal carotid artery without enhancement or narrowing. (b) Preoperative axial T2-weighted MRI showing a hyperintense lesion close to the left internal carotid artery with heterogeneous signal characteristics. (c) Preoperative axial T1-weighted MRI showing the same lesion with heterogeneous gadolinium enhancement
Figure 3
Figure 3
(a) Aspects of Sylvian approach with temporal lobe (TL) on the left and frontal lobe (FL) on the right, III nerve (III), and the lateral wall of the cavernous sinus (CS); (b) intracapsular hair fibers of the cyst; (c) interdural location and a point of attachment (AP) to the inner membranous layer of the lateral wall of the CS; (d) final view of the tumoral loca (Tloc)
Figure 4
Figure 4
Histopathologic examination showed stratified squamous epithelium and abundant sebaceous glands, characteristic features of dermoid tumors (H and E, ×40)
Figure 5
Figure 5
Immediate post-op CT scan showing complete tumor removal
Figure 6
Figure 6
No ocular nerve palsies were seen post-op
Figure 7
Figure 7
2-month post-op MRI with no residual lesion

References

    1. Abdelouafi A, Ousehal A, Gharbi A, Ait Benali S, El Kamar A, Kadiri R. Cavernous sinus dermoid cyst with unusual parapharyngeal development. J Neuroradiol. 2000;27:140–3. - PubMed
    1. Alvord EC., Jr Growth rates of epidermoid tumors. Ann Neurol. 1977;2:367–70. - PubMed
    1. Akdemir G, Daglioglu E, Ergungor MF. Dermoid lesion of the cavernous sinus: Case report and review of the literature. Neurosurg Ver. 2004;27:294–8. - PubMed
    1. Arseni C, Danaila L, Constantinescu AI, Carp N, Decu P. Cerebral dermoid tumors. Neurochirurgia. 1976;19:104–14. - PubMed
    1. Chen YF, Liu HM, Tu YK. Dermoid cyst as a dumbbell-shaped tumour of the cavernous sinus. Pediatr Radiol. 2003;33:72. - PubMed

Publication types