Giant Epidermoid Cyst of External Ear - A Rare Case Report

Epidermoid cysts are developmental, benign, cutaneous cysts which are commonly found on face followed by trunk and neck. They account for approximately 80% of follicular cysts of the skin. They are slow growing lesions and remain asymptomatic until or unless secondarily infected. They occasionally have tendency to develop into a malignancy. We describe a case of giant epidermoid cyst of posterior part of external ear, a location where very few cases have been reported in the literature. Since cyst was attached to the external ear, esthetics was also one of the important concern apart from the cyst getting infected, as they cause disfigurement of the face. The cyst was excised surgically. Histopathology confirmed the presumptive diagnosis of Epidermoid cyst. Two-years after the resection there was no recurrence. Due to the possibility of the cyst to transform into a malignancy and for appropriate diagnosis, histopathological examination remains a gold standard for confirmatory diagnosis.