Cutaneous ciliated cyst: a case report with focus on mullerian heterotopia and comparison with eccrine sweat glands

Cutaneous ciliated cyst is an exceedingly rare, benign lesion most commonly found in the dermis or subcutis of the lower extremities of young female patients in their second and third decades. The pathogenesis of the cyst is unknown. We report a cutaneous ciliated cyst in the lower extremity of a 13-year-old female patient. On histologic examination, clusters of eccrine sweat glands were observed adjacent to the cyst. Upon comparison of the immunohistochemical profile of the cutaneous ciliated cyst and the eccrine sweat glands, they appeared almost completely unrelated. The histologic, immunohistochemical, and ultrastructural findings of this case and the literature provide evidence in favor of the Mullerian heterotopia theory.