Retrorectal epidermoid cyst in an elderly woman: Report of a case

• Published in: Surgery today (Tokyo, Japan) Japan), 2008-08, Vol.38 (8), p.761-764
• Main Authors: Sasaki, Atsushi, Sugita, Satoshi, Horimi, Katsuhiro, Yasuda, Kazuhiro, Inomata, Masafumi, Kitano, Seigo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aged; Case Reports; Epidermal Cyst - diagnostic imaging; Epidermal Cyst - surgery; Female; Humans; Incidental Findings; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Rectal Diseases - diagnostic imaging; Rectal Diseases - surgery; Surgery; Surgical Oncology; Tomography, X-Ray Computed
• ISSN: 0941-1291; 1436-2813
• DOI: 10.1007/s00595-007-3695-1

An epidermoid cyst is a common occurrence in the skin. Such a cyst occurring in the retrorectal space, however, is extremely rare. We herein present a case of retrorectal epidermal cyst in a 67-year-old Japanese woman. She reported no symptoms and a perirectal mass behind the lower rectum was accidentally detected by computed tomography (CT). Contrast CT and magnetic resonance imaging revealed a cystic mass (76 × 70 × 63 mm) with a slightly enhanced thin wall which was attached to the lower rectum. The patient underwent surgery via a posterior approach. The mass was exposed after an excision of subcutaneous fat and was firmly adhered to the anal sphincter muscle. The cystic mass was completely removed without a proctectomy. Histologically, the cyst was diagnosed to be an epidermoid cyst. The postoperative course was uneventful, and the patient was discharged on postoperative day 9. A diagnosis of retrorectal cystic tumor is difficult, and a complete resection is necessary for the treatment of such tumors.