title: Clinical Study and Review of Articles (Korean) about Retrorectal Developmental Cysts in Adults.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  A retrorectal developmental cyst (tailgut cyst, epidermoid cyst, dermoid cyst, teratoma, and duplication) is very rare disease, and the symptoms are not characteristic so that sometimes this disease is still misdiagnosed as a supralevator abscess or a complex anal fistula. We would like to present a clinical approach to this disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  We retrospectively examined the charts of 15 patients who were treated for retrorectal cysts from January 2001 to November 2009.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All 15 patients were female. The average age was 41 years (range, 21 to 60 years). Fourteen patients (93.3%) were symptomatic, and the most common symptom was anal pain or discomfort. Nine patients (60%) had more than one previous operation (range, 1 to 9 times) for a supralevator abscess, an anal fistula, etc. In 12 patients (80%), the diagnosis could be made by using the medical history and physical examination. Thirteen cysts (80%) were excised completely through the posterior approach. The average diameter of the cysts was 4.8 cm (range, 2 to 10 cm). Pathologic diagnoses were 8 tailgut cysts (53.3%), 5 epidermoid cysts (33.3%) and 2 dermoid cysts (13.3%). The average follow-up period was 18.3 months (range, 1 to 64 months).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In our experience, high suspicion and physical examination are the most important diagnostic methods. If a female patient has a history of multiple perianal operations, a retrorectal bulging soft mass, a posterior anal dimple, and no conventional creamy foul odorous pus in drainage, the possibility of a retrorectal developmental cyst must be considered.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Seoul Song Do Colorectal Hospital, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Sung Wook
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Baek
authors.forename: Haeng Ji
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: Ji Yong
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Yoon
authors.forename: Do Youn
authors.initials: do Y
authors.lastname: Whang
authors.forename: Duk Hoon
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Seo Gue
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Yoon
authors.forename: Hyun Sik
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Jong Kyun
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Jung Dal
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Kwang Yun
authors.initials: KY
authors.lastname: Kim