[Intracranial dermoid cyst (clinico-pathologic description of a case)]

The authors describe the case of a female patient aged 49 years who received neurological treatment for various complaints over a period of 19 years. The disorder defied exact diagnosis despite the application of all neurological and other diagnostic techniques. Suspicions ranged from somnolence accompanied by cephalalgia, through demyelination, expansive processes in the region of the cerebellum or the diencephalon, encephalitis or tuber- cubma of the brain stem to multiple sclerosis. The autopsy revealed a dermoidal cyst that exerted a slight pressure on the extension of the medulla. This explained all of the patient's complaints. The occurrence of such cysts is discussed on the basis of data taken from the literature.