True lateral dermoid cyst of the submandibular region: A case report

Dermoid cysts located in the lateral cervical region are relatively rare. We describe the case of a true lateral dermoid cyst of the submandibular region without evidence of migration from a median dermoid in a 63-year-old Japanese woman. The lesion was a painless and slowly enlarging mass of the left lateral cervical region without oral extension of the external swelling. Magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated a hyperintense and an oval smooth-edged capsulated mass in the left submandibular region, and the patient consented to excision by a submandibular approach. Histopathology revealed a cyst containing a keratinizing stratified squamous epithelial lining with apocrine and eccrine glands. Based on the radiographic and clinicopathological findings, the patient was finally diagnosed as having a true lateral dermoid cyst. As of about 2 years after the operation, no recurrence has been observed. Lateral dermoid cyst should be considered as a rare possibility in the differential diagnosis of lateral cervical mass.