Dermoid cyst differential diagnosis

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Soujanya Thummathati, MBBS [2]

Overview

Dermoid cyst must be differentiated from teratoma, as well as other common benign tumors that develop in the head and neck, ovaries, or spine (such as pilar cysts, steatocystoma, pilomatrixoma, encephalocele, vascular malformations, lipoleiomyoma, pilonidal cyst, and lipoma).^[1]^[2]^[3]^[3]^[4]

Dermoid cysts of head and neck must be differentiated from the following:^[1]^[2]

Pilar cysts (trichilemmal cyst)
- Acquired
- Intradermal
- Scalp is the most common site
Steatocystoma multiplex
Pilomatrixoma
Encephalocele (when dermoid cysts appear on the medial aspect of the orbit)
Ranula
Vascular leiomyoma of the extracranial scalp

Ovarian dermoid cysts must be differentiated from the following:
- Haemorrhagic ovarian cyst
- Pedunculated lipoleiomyoma of the uterus
- Ovarian serous or mucinous cystadenoma/cystadenocarcinoma

Spinal dermoid cysts must be differentiated from the following:^[3]
- Lipoma
- Teratoma
- Spinal cord tumors (astrocytoma and ependymoma)

Dermoid cysts must also be differentiated from the following:^[5]