Surgical treatment of a nasal dermoid cyst: open rhinoplasty

Introduction: Dermoid cysts (or dermoids) are benign tumors which belong to choristoma group (teratoma). Nasal dermoid cysts (NDCs) are the most common congenital defect of the nasal midline. The diagnosis is usually established at an early age - mainly by the age of 3. Due to late diagnosis and/or delay of surgical treatment, facial deformities, recurrent infections (festering of cysts or subcutaneous infections), nasal blockage or intracranial complications may occur. Case report: This paper presents a clinical case of a 7-year-old boy admitted to the ENT department of the Lviv Regional Children’s Clinical Hospital „OHMATDYT” with symptoms of ongoing pain, swelling and caseous discharge from the fistulous tract on the nasal bridge. Diagnostic MRI showed a bone-shaped structure in the subcutaneous tissue of the nasal bridge. After evaluation, the dermoid cyst was successfully treated surgically with open rhinoplasty. No complaints were reported during the 2-year post-operative period. Conclusions: NDC is a subcutaneous cyst, which derives from the ectoderm and mesoderm. In addition to clinical signs, the radiological imaging methods – CT and MRI – are crucial for NDC diagnosis. The effective method of NDC treatment is radical surgical resection.