Epidermoid cyst

Classification according to ICD-10
L72	Follicular cysts of the skin and subcutaneous tissue
L72.0	Epidermal cyst
ICD-10 online (WHO version 2019)

Epidermal cyst

Epidermoid cysts are monodermal tumors ( teratomas ) and occur in different parts of the human body.

skin

Epidermoid cysts are benign cysts localized in the dermis , which consist of epidermal cells, but have no skin appendages. These cysts are caused by the proliferation of epidermal cells in the skin around them. Histologically , they consist of a thin layer of squamous epithelium with horny lamellae, some of which may have peeled off. In the case of skin injuries, smaller parts of the epidermis can be displaced deeper into the wound. The transplanted epidermal parts continue to grow inside the wound and form horn masses, which then lead to the formation of an epidermoid cyst.

The epidermoid cysts are often found on the face, neck and trunk area.

In the event of clinical symptoms, treatment consists of surgical removal of the cyst as far as possible. However, it is not always certain that the cyst can be removed radically, so that recurrences often occur.

brain

Epidermoid cyst of the pineal region in the magnetic resonance imaging diffusion-weighted sequence

Histological preparation of an epidermoid cyst from squamous epithelium with exfoliation of the horny lamellae

Lobulated, irregular, cauliflower-like mass with liquor-like (liquid) density, which has no contrast medium enrichment. In magnetic resonance imaging , it can be distinguished primarily by the fact that it is not completely signal-suppressed in the flair sequence , i.e. That is, there is a hyperintensity compared to CSF. Calcifications are present in 10–25% of cases. Epidermoid cysts are most commonly found in the cerebellopontine angle (75%) and in the 4th cerebral ventricle (20%). They arise individually from inclusions on the skin surface of the skin during the neural tube closure.