Background: Dermal sinus is usually located at either end of neural tube but most commonly lumbosacral. When occipital, it extends caudally and is mostly localized in the midline position or in the cavity of the fourth ventricle. It could communicate with the skin through a fistula with potential risk of deeper abscesses. Posterior fossa abscess secondary to dermal sinus associated with intracranial dermal cyst is an uncommon pathology. Case Description: A 24-month-old girl was admitted to our institution with a cutaneous fistula in the midline of the occipital region. Brain imaging showed an infratentorial intradiploic cyst with peripheral enhancement to contrast medium. The mass showed hyperintensity on T1-weighted sequences, with the lower signal on T2-weighted images. A suboccipital craniotomy was performed with evacuation of the abscess and excision of the capsule. Contextually a 3 cm whitish and encapsulated cystic mass with hair component was extracted. Histology confirmed the diagnosis of abscess associated with dermal cyst and dermal sinus. The patient condition improved and 15 days after excision, was discharged. The postoperative MRI showed total removal of the lesion. A 36-month follow-up highlighted no evidence of recurrence. Conclusion: Posterior fossa dermoid cyst should be considered in all children with a cutaneous fistula. Early neurosurgical treatment of these benign tumors should be performed to prevent the development of severe intracranial infection. Best results are associated with early diagnosis and complete removal of the abscess. The present work further reviews the few similar cases that have been reported in the literature confirming the need for future research.

Background: The occurrence of extraneural metastasis in patients diagnosed with glioblastoma (GBM) is rare with an estimated incidence ranging from 0.4% to 2.0%. Short clinical history is believed to be a possible explanation of the paucity of such cases. Furthermore, to date, only few papers describe cases of vertebral metastases from GBM without evidence of synchronous visceral involvement. Case Description: The authors report on the case of a 46-year-old woman presenting with a history of surgically treated GBM who developed multiple metastases located in the posterior laminae and vertebral bodies with a single dural metastasis at D6-D8 level 5 years after the initial diagnosis. Total-body computed tomography did not show signs of either intracranial recurrence or visceral involvement. Postoperative pathological examination confirmed the diagnosis of the World Health Organization-2016 Grade IV GBM metastases. Conclusion: From a clinical point of view, the awareness of the possibility of spinal and vertebral metastasis from intracranial GBM is crucial. The present case demonstrates that distant dissemination from the primary tumor is possible despite the absence of intracranial recurrence.

Tailgut cysts are rare developmental cysts arising from remnants of the embryological postnatal gut. Despite being frequently located in the presacral space, isolated cases of aberrant locations have been reported, including, perirenal, perianal, and subcutaneous sites, with only two cases of subdural tailgut cysts reported to date. The clinical course is often marked by linear growth, causing compression of the adjacent structures, however malignant transformation with carcinomatous features has been previously described. Hereby the authors describe a case of an intradural extramedullary tailgut cyst in a 33-year-old man presenting with progressive low back pain and signs of autonomic dysfunction, including urinary retention and bowel incontinence. Whole-spine MRI revealed an intrathecal cystic lesion located at L2-L3 level exhibiting hyperintensity on T2-weighted images not enhancing when contrast was administered. Laminectomy followed by tumor excision was performed and pathological analysis confirmed the diagnosis of tailgut cyst.

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