Frontal mucocele presenting as a subcutaneous tumour on the forehead.
A 57-year-old Japanese woman had a 3-month history of an asymptomatic subcutaneous tumour on the forehead. The patient presented a slightly elevated, elastic soft subcutaneous mass, 3 cm in diameter, on the mid to left-side forehead. Slight swelling of the left upper eyelid was observed. CT scanning and magnetic resonance images revealed a sharply demarcated cystic mass from the subcutaneous area on the forehead expanding into the frontal sinus and intracranial space. The tumour was diagnosed as a frontal mucocele and combined external and endoscopic approaches were performed. It is rare that a patient with a frontal mucocele is initially referred as a case of a subcutaneous tumour because most of the patients complain primarily of the ophthalmic symptoms. However, the present case reminds us that frontal mucocele is one of the differential diagnoses for a subcutaneous mass on the forehead.
Akiyama
M
M
Division of Dermatology, Kitasato Institute Hospital, Tokyo, Japan. akiyama@med.teikyo-u.ac.jp
Inamoto
N
N
Hashigucci
K
K
D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D005546:Forehead; D005626:Frontal Sinus / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009078:Mucocele / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology*; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology*