Unusual variants of midline nasal dermoid cysts: a series of three cases

Dermoids presenting in early life with a sinus tract along the midline of the nasal dorsum are well described. We present three very unusual variants of this condition.

Case one was a two-year-old child with a pit in the philtrum of the lip. The tract pierced the nasal spine and extended towards the crista galli. Case two was a 15-month-old child with two separate sinus openings on the dorsum, one below and one above a dermoid cyst. Case three was a 17-year-old adolescent with neurological disability. Scanning showed a dermoid cyst deep in the anterior skull base, but the sinus tract had been obliterated by bony overgrowth due to long term use of antiepileptic medication.

Cases one and two were successfully managed by complete excision via an external rhinoplasty approach. Case three, in contrast, was not operated upon due to bony obliteration of the sinus tract.

Surgeons dealing with nasal dermoids must be able to adapt to the variable anatomical and clinical features of these lesions.