title: Spinal neurenteric cyst presenting as recurrent midline sebaceous cysts.
abstract: A 59-year-old patient had been treated by the general surgery department at her local hospital for a recurrent sebaceous cyst on the back of her neck. Cervical MRI showed a cystic structure, posterior to fused vertebral bodies, connected to the skin by a sinus passing through the middle of a split cord malformation. The lesion was excised via an anterior approach. Histology confirmed a benign neurenteric cyst. This rare developmental anomaly, mimicking a common acquired surgical condition, highlights the need for caution in the diagnosis of midline pathology.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Sheffield, UK. rcse@olecranon.com
authors.forename: Giles W
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Becker
authors.forename: Robert D E
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Battersby
mesh_terms: D002574:Cervical Vertebrae; D004814:Epidermal Cyst / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008875:Middle Aged; D009436:Neural Tube Defects / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D012008:Recurrence; D013122:Spinal Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*