This article is a report of a case of epidermoid cyst of the deep lobe of the left parotid, being reported and described for the benefit of the readers in view of the rarity of the condition. 

Kothandaraman, Srikamakshi

English

Otolaryngology online journal

ISSN 2250-0359                                         Volume 3 Issue 3 2013
A CHEESY AFFAIR! - REPORT OF A CASE OF AN
EPIDERMOID         CYST OF PAROTID     
 
Srikamakshi Kothandaraman Balasubramanian Thiagarajan
Stanley Medical College
ABSTRACT:
This article is a report of a case of epidermoid cyst of the deep lobe of 
the left parotid, being reported and described for the benefit of the readers in
view of the rarity of the condition. 
INTRODUCTION:
Like how cholesteatoma of the middle ear and mastoid is described, 
this also seemed to be a case of “skin in the wrong place” !  The incidence of
salivary gland tumours is reported to be about 6% of head and neck 
tumours. Of which 70-90% have been encountered in the parotid gland. 
Among these, 80% are benign. Similarly while epidermoid cysts under the 
skin over other locations like face, chest, trunk are quite common place, 
reports of epidermoid cysts in the parotid gland have been very few and far 
between, which was the case with our patient. Also, since the mass was 
present in the deep lobe of the parotid gland, it became necessary to do a 
total parotidectomy. The responsibility remained however, to ensure disease clearance without causing any injury to the facial nerve, as it obviously 
seemed to be a benign mass, and no nerve infiltration would be expected 
which could justify its damage/sacrifice. 
CASE REPORT:
60 Years female patient came with complaints of swelling over angle of
left mandible for the last 3 months, which was insidious in onset, progressive
in nature and associated with pain over the swelling and fever in the last 
couple of weeks. 
Figure showing the mass involving left parotid gland
The pain over the swelling was associated with left earache. The patient also 
had trismus. Bilaterally facial nerves were clinically intact. Local examination 
revealed an approximately 6x5 cm swelling over the region of the left angle 
of the mandible,located about 2cm below the lobule of the left ear, extending
about 2cm anterior to the tragus and upto 2cm behind the left retro-auricular
groove. On palpation the mass was found to be non-tender, mobile, and firm in consistency with well-defined margins. The skin over the swelling was 
normal and pinchable. The mass was not bidigitally palpable.  Multiple 
bilateral submandibular lymph nodes could be palpated, all of them 
non-tender, mobile and firm in consistency. No other glandular swellings 
were palpable. Ultrasonogram of the left parotid revealed a solid mass. CT 
neck reported a mixed density left parotid mass.
CT scan axial cut showing mass involving the deep lobe of parotid gland
 FNAC of the mass was performed 2 times at about a month’s interval. The 
1
st one was reported as epidermal cyst. However the 2
nd one showed up 
atypical epithelial cells. Hence it was decided to proceed with left total 
parotidectomy after obtaining fitness for general anaesthesia. Under GA with
orotracheal intubation with patient in supine position with head turned to the
right side, parts were painted and draped. Infiltration was given all over and 
around the mass. Lazy ‘S’ incision was made extending from the left 
pre-auricular area around the lobule of the left ear upto the mastoid tip and 
extended downwards upto a neck crease (along the anterior border of the 
left sternocleidomastoid muscle). Successive layers of skin, subcutaneous 
tissue and fascia were divided and flaps elevated anteriorly and posteriorly 
until a fat layer was identified and inferiorly into the neck until the 
sternocleidomastoid and platysma muscles were identified. 
Figure showing the incision made to expose the parotid gland
The greater auricular nerve was identified over the sternocleidomastoid 
muscle and preserved. The superficial lobe of the left parotid was dissected 
free from surrounding soft tissues.
 
Parotid gland exposedThe external facial vein was located and ligated. The zygomatico-temporal 
branch of the left facial nerve was the 1
st branch identified and it was traced 
to locate the main trunk of the left facial nerve. The other branches(cervical, 
buccal, marginal mandibular) of the facial nerve were subsequently identified
and preserved. We then turned our attention to the deep lobe of the parotid. 
It was found to be full of pultaceous cheesy debris. 
Cheesy material seen in the deep lobe of parotid gland
The cavity that remained after removing the pultaceous debris along with 
the cyst wall. Some cyst wall and a little cheesy debris that is yet to be 
removed can be seen.Cavity seen after extrusion of cheesy material
The same was removed completely including the deep lobe of the parotid, 
taking care not to injure the facial nerve . Some amount of similar cheesy 
material was found over the retomandibular vein. The same was removed 
carefully. The parotid tissue overlying the carotid sheath was removed as far 
as safely feasible. Romovac suction drain was placed into wound and fixed in
position. Complete haemostasis was secured.
The following is a photo of the main trunk of the left facial nerve and its main
branches- temporo-zygomatic, cervico-facial, taken at surgery, delineated in this foto with a string of vicryl:
The wound was closed in layers with 3-0 vicryl and prolene. Mastoid 
compression dressing was applied. The patient was extubated and shifted to 
ward. Post-operatively, b/l facial nerves were clinically intact. The specimen 
was sent for histo-pathological examination. About 20 ml of blood was 
collected in the drain on the 1
st post-operative day. The drain was removed 
on the 2
nd post-operative day . Sutures were removed on the seventh 
post-operative day. The excision biopsy specimen confirmed the diagnosis of 
epidermoid cyst of parotid. Histopathology showing epidermal cells within parotid tissue
DISCUSSION:
RELEVANT ANATOMY:
The parotid is the largest of the three major salivary glands. It is a 
compound tubulo-alveolar gland of the serous variety. It weighs from 14 to 
28 grams and is approximately triangular in shape. It is bounded posteriorly 
by the mastoid process, anteriorly by the ramus of the mandible, superiorly 
by the zygomatic arch and inferiorly by a line connecting the tip of the 
mastoid process with the angle of the mandible. The gland is enclosed in a 
fibrous capsule which sends septa into the glandular substance dividing it 
into lobules. Anatomically, the gland is divided into subdivisions as 
superficial (or lateral) and deep lobes by a neurovascular bundle.  However, 
Gaughran, in his comprehensive study of parotid anatomy has pointed out 
that the gland is actually unilobar. The deep lobe extends inwards towards 
the pharyngeal wall and lies in close approximation to the great vessels of 
the parapharyngeal space. It extends medial to the level of the ramus of the 
mandible. The presence of the mandibular ramus constricts the gland at this point. Deep to the deep lobe, minor salivary glands are present in the 
parapharyngeal space. The bulk of the parotid gland (the ‘tail’) extends 
inferiorly between the mandible and the upper part of the 
sternocleidomastoid muscle.  The parotid is easily recognized on CT and MRI 
in adult patients due to its fatty content. The superficial lobe is seen between
the external auditory canal and the angle of the mandible, lateral to the 
masseter muscle. The deep lobe is located medial to the mandible, 
extending towards the pre-styloid parapharyngeal space, best seen on axial 
images. The parotid (Stenson’s) duct arises from the superficial lobe of 
the parotid gland, and courses anteriorly over the masseter muscle, a finger 
breadth below the zygomatic arch and pierces the buccal pad of fat and 
buccinator muscle to end in the mucosa of the mouth at the level of the 
second upper molar. The intra-oral course provides a valve-like mechanism 
preventing reflux.In about 20% of individuals, Accessory parotid glands 
may be present along the parotid duct. They can also get affected by the 
same disease processes affecting the major gland. A pitfall in CT imaging is 
the possibily of artefacts in the parotid region due to dental restoration. 
Although radiological imaging can differentiate between inflammatory 
pathologies and tumours, they cannot reliably differentiate between benign 
and malignant tumours of the parotid. The FNAC is the preferred diagnostic 
tool for the same. Histologically, the gland is composed of serous secretory 
units (acini) which drain into intercalated (terminal) ducts. These converge to
form striated (intralobular) ducts, which in turn converge to form secretory 
(interlobular) ducts found within connective tissue septa. These secretoy 
ducts drain into the main parotid duct. The main trunk of the facial nerve 
enters the parotid gland through its posterior surface and quickly bifurcates 
into upper and lower divisions. The upper division generally gives rise to the 
frontal, zygomatic and upper buccal branches while the lower division gives 
rise to the lower buccal, marginal mandibular and cervical branches. The 
upper division branches tend to be thicker and more resilient than the lower 
division ones and take a more superficial course through the gland before 
exiting. The lower division branches are thinner, more delicate and lie 
deeper. Neuropraxia more commonly affects the lower division branches 
following surgical manipulation. The facial nerve and its branches arbitrarily 
define the superficial and deep lobes of the parotid gland, though there is no 
histological demarcation between these two lobes. The retromandibular 
vein traverses the parotid gland deep to the facial nerve branches. It is 
frequently encountered in the inferior part of the gland, where classically, the
marginal mandibular and cervical branches cross directly over it. The terminal branches of the external carotid artery are deep to the 
retromandibular vein and are less frequently encountered during surgery. 
RELEVANT PATHOLOGY:
Cysts are closed sacs that have a lining and contents that are either 
liquid or semi-solid. An epidermoid cyst is a cyst with an epidermal lining 
with granular layer, no adnexa and filled with a cheesy material made up of 
soggy keratin. Epidermoid cysts are usually dome-shaped  lumps that occur 
just beneath the skin usually over the face,neck, chest or trunk. However 
there are also reports of them occurring in the genital areas. A rare 
occurrence is an intracranial epidermoid cyst. These are usually congenital 
lesions (rarely acquired post-surgery or post-traumatic implantation) that 
account for about 1% of intracranial tumours. Pathologically they are 
considered to be identical to middle ear congenital cholesteatomas. They are
most commonly intradural in location (90%) with 40-50% of these located at 
the cerebello-pontine angle. Epidermoid cysts  are usually painless and grow 
slowly. However, they can become painful,warm, red and tender if they 
become infected and start discharging foul smelling cheesy pus. 
Microscopically, these are cystic lesions lined by cornified epithelium, 
containing lamellated keratin without calcification.  Epidermoid cysts do not 
enhance on CT. They are usually iso-intense to CSF on MRI, in both T1 and T2
weighted images. There have been very few reports of malignant 
transformation of an epidermoid cyst into squamous cell carcinoma. Even in 
those cases, complete excision of the mass sufficed. 
REVIEW OF LITERATURE: 
Here, specifically, we encountered a case of epidermoid cyst in the 
deep lobe of the parotid gland. This condition is so rare that only 6 cases 
have been reported in English literature. In these case reports, the possibility
of the extension of cholesteatoma from the mastoid bone to the parotid 
gland was suggested because most of these patients had a history of 
previous middle ear/mastoid surgery. In such cases of iatrogenic epidermal 
cysts following ear surgery, especially those done utilising an endaural 
incision, it seemed that squamous epithelium gets implanted into the 
underlying tissue.hence it has been suggested that if a cystic mass is 
encountered in the parotid of a patient with a previous history of otologic surgery, an epidermal origin of the mass must be considered.  However our 
patient had no such past history of ear surgery. There has been a reported 
case of peripheral facial nerve palsy due to an infected epidermoid cyst. The 
mode of spread was believed to be through the stylomastoid foramen from 
the parotid gland into the Fallopian canal with a pthophysiology similar to 
Bell’s palsy. After incision and drainage and adequate antibiotic coverage, 
the palsy recovered completely after a few weeks. Since there is a tendency 
to recurrent infections of epidermoid cysts, it is recommended to excise the 
mass in such a scenario. However, such a situation was not encountered by 
us with respect to our patient. 
CONCLUSION: 
This case has been reported simply on account of the uniqueness of 
the clinical scenario. While epidermoid cysts and parotid masses as separate 
unrelated entities are quite common, the occurrence of an epidermoid cyst in
the deep lobe of parotid gland in very rare. The take home message is to 
keep this differential in mind also when dealing with parotid masses. Also, 
considering the benign nature of the mass, it becomes important to take 
every effort to preserve the facial nerve and undertake a meticulous 
dissection to ensure that the patient gets complete disease clearance 
leaving no chances for a recurrence. 
REFERENCES:
1. Walshe P et al. Parotid masses in patients with previous ear surgery. 
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2. Ozcan KM et al. An epidermal cyst in the parotid gland following ear 
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Pediatric Otorhinolaryngol. 2010 Feb; 74(2): 216-7.
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6. Manz D et al. Epidermal cyst of the parotid gland. HNO, Jan 2011; 
59(1):64-7.7. Omer AUDIN et al. Iatrogenic multiloculated epidermoid parotid cyst 
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8. Nicole JM Freling. Imaging of the salivary glands. Scott Brown 7
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A CHEESY AFFAIR! - REPORT OF A CASE OF AN EPIDERMOID CYST OF PAROTID

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A CHEESY AFFAIR! - REPORT OF A CASE OF AN EPIDERMOID CYST OF PAROTID

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