Post auricular dermoid cyst—a rare lump behind the ear

Abstract

Dermoid cysts are benign developmental anomalies. They are postulated to originate from the congenital inclusion of germ layers in the deeper tissues along the lines of embryonic fusion (New and Erich Surg, Gynecol Obstet 65:48–55, 1937). Dermoid cysts can be divided into three types according to their histological characteristics, namely epidermoid, dermoid, and teratoid (Tuffin and Theaker, Int J Oral Maxillofac Surg 20:275, 1991). The majority of dermoid cysts arise in the ovaries. Those occurring in the cervicofacial region are uncommon, accounting for about 7% of all dermoids (De Souza et al., Plast Reconstr Surg 112(7):1972, 2003). Dermoid cysts around the auricular region are rare. To the best of our knowledge, there have been only four cases of post-auricular dermoid cyst reported in literature (Bauer et al., Arch Dermatol 130:913, 1994; De Souza et al., Plast Reconstr Surg 112(7):1972, 2003; Meagher and Morrison, Br J Plast Surg 54:336, 2001; Samper, Plast Reconstr Surg 106:947, 2000. We hereby report the fifth case of this rare condition.