Unusual Location of a Recurrent Epidermoid Cyst

Epidermoid cysts of the temporal bone are rare, benign and slow-growing lesions.

We report the case of a 69-year-old female patient followed up for a symptomatic intradiploic epidermoid cyst of the temporal scale and left mastoid region, which had been operated on but recurred.

MRI demonstrated a well-limited lesion seen as a hyposignal on T1-weighted images, hypersignal on T2-weighted images, on FLAIR and on diffusion-weighted images not enhanced by gadolinium. The tumour was compressive, and bone lysis was seen on CT.

Epidermoid cysts of the temporal bone are rare, benign lesions whose diagnosis is based on fluid signals seen on MRI but absent on FLAIR sequences.

Epidermoid cysts of the temporal bone are rare, benign and slow-growing lesions.Larger cysts are easier to identify.Diagnosis is based on the presence of a fluid signal on all MRI sequences except for FLAIR imaging, and on confirmation by pathological examination.