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Case Reports
. 2012 Apr;7(2):81-3.
doi: 10.4103/1793-5482.98651.

Dermoid cyst: A rare intramedullary inclusion cyst

A P Patankar  1 , J H Sheth
Affiliations
Case Reports

Dermoid cyst: A rare intramedullary inclusion cyst

A P Patankar et al. Asian J Neurosurg. 2012 Apr.

Abstract

Intramedullary dermoid cysts are rare tumors, especially those not associated with spinal dysraphism. Only six cases have been reported in the literature. Of these, only two cases have had magnetic resonance imaging studies. We report a case of an 18-year-old female patient, who presented with progressive weakness of both the lower limbs and wasting of both the upper limbs. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed an intramedullary lesion extending from C3 to D2 with peripheral enhancement on contrast. Decompression of the cystic contents with partial removal of cyst wall was done. Hair with oily cholesterol and keratin debris was encountered. Histopathology confirmed the diagnosis of dermoid cyst. This case adds to the previous reported cases of the rare and uncommon intramedullary space occupying lesions of the spinal cord.

Keywords: Intramedullary cysts; intramedullary tumors; intraspinal dermoid cysts.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest: None declared.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
T1W coronal MRI showing widening of the cervical cord
Figure 2
Figure 2
T1W image showing hypointense intramedullary space occupying lesion
Figure 3
Figure 3
T1W post-contrast image showing peripheral ring enhancement and irregular enhancement within the lesion
Figure 4
Figure 4
T2W image showing the hyperintense lesion with “whorls”
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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