Vertical dorsal rhinotomy in pediatric nasal dermoid surgery

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES

Nasal dermoids are uncommon midline congenital lesions in the nose, usually diagnosed in the first years of life. Imaging is mandatory to evaluate local and intracranial extension and treatment consists in surgical excision. This study aims to review the experience of the department in managing pediatric nasal dermoids using a dorsal rhinotomy surgical approach.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Retrospective case series of pediatric nasal dermoids treated at a tertiary university teaching hospital over a period of seven years.

RESULTS

Nine children were treated during this period. Clinical presentation was a dermoid sinus-cyst in seven cases and a cystic lesion in two. Pre-operative imaging revealed extension of the lesion to the foramen cecum in three cases. Surgery was performed via vertical dorsal rhinotomy in all patients, and associated endoscopic surgery was used in three patients. Reconstruction with autologous material was performed in three cases. No complications or recurrences were registered during the follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS

In the presented series, a vertical dorsal rhinotomy incision has provided good functional and aesthetic results. The possibility of nasal dermoid intracranial extension should be accessed with imaging but remains uncommon. In its absence, this approach may be useful and can be paired with other techniques, such as nasal endoscopy, to achieve the best outcomes.

[Cerebellar abscesses secondary to infection of an occipital dermal sinus]

A dermal sinus is a congenital defect arising from a closure failure of the neural tube that results in different degrees of communication between the skin and the central nervous system. A dermal sinus can occur anywhere from the root of the nose to the conus medullaris, and the occipital location is the second most common. Dermal sinuses are often found in association with dermoid or epidermoid cysts and less frequently with teratomas. Patients with an occipital dermoid cyst associated with a dermal sinus can develop meningitis and/or abscesses as the first clinical manifestation of the disease due to the dermoid cyst itself becoming abscessed or to the formation of secondary abscesses; few cases of the formation of secondary abscesses have been reported. We present a case of a dermoid cyst associated with an infected dermal sinus and posterior development of cerebellar abscesses and hydrocephalus.