title: Elderly onset intramedullary epidermoid cyst in the conus medullaris: a case report.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Epidermoid cysts are known as embryonic or acquired ectopic aberrations of the ectoderm. To the best of our knowledge, there are only a few reports of elderly onset intramedullary epidermoid cysts. We report a case of elderly onset intramedullary epidermoid cyst at the conus medullaris.
  
  
  METHODS
  A 63-year-old Japanese woman working as a farmer presented with slowly progressive gait disturbance and voiding dysfunction. A magnetic resonance imaging scan revealed an intramedullary mass lesion at L1 to L3. We diagnosed the lesion as an intramedullary spinal cord tumor. A laminectomy was performed at the level of Th12 to L3. Upon spinal cord dissection, a yellowish milky exudation erupted from the cystic lesion. We resected white cartilage-like pieces from the cystic cavity. Because the wall of the cystic lesion tightly adhered to the spinal cord parenchyma, we abandoned complete resection of the cyst wall. The pathological diagnosis was an epidermoid cyst.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We propose that evacuation of the cyst contents is preferable, especially in cases with elderly onset and congenital origin.
authors.forename: Takeru
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ohara
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Maki
authors.forename: Takeo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Furuya
authors.forename: Taigo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Inada
authors.forename: Koshiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kamiya
authors.forename: Mitsutoshi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ota
authors.forename: Akihiko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Okawa
authors.forename: Osamu
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Ikeda
authors.forename: Kazuhisa
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: Masashi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yamazaki
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Chiba University Graduate School of Medicine, 1-8-1 Inohana, Chuo-Ku, Chiba 2608670, Japan. masaokod@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Masao
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Koda
mesh_terms: D004814:Epidermal Cyst / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D020233:Gait Disorders, Neurologic / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D007796:Laminectomy / Q000379:methods*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008875:Middle Aged; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000473:pathology*; D013118:Spinal Cord Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D016896:Treatment Outcome