Laparoscopic Excision of an Epidermoid Cyst Arising From the Deep Abdominal Wall

Abstract

Epidermoid cysts are the most common type of cutaneous cyst. However, their occurrence in the deep abdominal wall has not yet been reported. Here, we present the case of a 60-year-old woman who developed an epidermoid cyst in the deep abdominal wall, which was resected laparoscopically. The patient presented with right upper quadrant abdominal pain on admission to our hospital. Computed tomography revealed cholecystolithiasis and an incidentally identified well-defined hypoattenuating mass (62 x 47 x 65 mm) in the deep abdominal wall on the left side of the navel. We performed laparoscopic complete resection of the abdominal wall tumor followed by cholecystectomy. The excised specimen was a cyst covered with a smooth thin membrane and contained sludge. Histopathologic examination revealed an epidermoid cyst. This is a very rare case with no previous reports on a similar type of epidermoid cyst.

Intertendinous epidermoid cyst of the forearm

“…In the present case, however, the cyst was located under the deep fascia, and neither radiological examination nor intraoperative findings showed continuity between the cyst and the skin. Similar epidermoid cysts presenting deep in the body have been reported in the presacral region [4], spleen [5], cecum [6], deep in the neck [7], and deep abdominal wall [8]. They are thought to be congenital, derived from ectodermal implantation during embryogenesis [9].…”