Coexistence of dermal sinus tract, dermoid cyst, and encephalocele in a patient presenting with nasal cellulitis.

Dermoid cysts, encephaloceles, and dermal sinus tracts represent abnormalities that develop during the process of embryogenesis. The elucidation of the precise timing of formation for these malformations has remained elusive at the molecular level of study. Yet, clinical experience has demonstrated that these malformations do not all occur in the same patient, suggesting a shared pathway that goes awry at distinct points for different patients, resulting in 1 of the 3 malformations. Herein the authors describe a case in which all 3 malformations were present in a single patient. This is the first description in the English literature of a sincipital encephalocele occurring with a dermoid cyst and a dermal sinus tract.

Duke Scholars

Author Stephanie Greene Neurosurgery