title: An unusual presentation of a lingual dermoid cyst.
abstract: Dermoid cysts are rare lesions of the head and neck that usually present in children as an asymptomatic, slowly growing mass. We report a case that demonstrates that dermoid cysts can present later in life as a recurrent acute infection. Our patient was a 48-year-old man with a 22-year history of recurrent abscesses of the tongue and floor of the mouth that had required a tracheotomy and multiple hospitalizations. Magnetic resonance imaging performed between acute episodes revealed the presence of a 1.8-cm lesion within the tongue musculature. The patient underwent resection, and pathology was consistent with a lingual dermoid cyst. At 2 years of follow-up, he experienced no recurrence of symptoms.
authors.affiliation: Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center, 280 W. MacArthur Blvd., Oakland, CA 94611, USA. megan.durr@kp.org.
authors.forename: Megan L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Durr
authors.forename: Annemieke
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: van Zante
authors.forename: Steven D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Pletcher
mesh_terms: D000038:Abscess / Q000150:complications*; D003884:Dermoid Cyst / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009059:Mouth Diseases / Q000150:complications*; D009060:Mouth Floor; D012008:Recurrence; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014060:Tongue Diseases / Q000150:complications*; D014062:Tongue Neoplasms / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology