Three children with dermoid cysts of the posterior fossa are reported from the Assaf Harofeh Medical Center, Zerifen, and Hadassa Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel. Two presented with, acute meningitis at 1 and 2 yrs of age, and the third patient had hydrocephalus treated by ventriculo-peritoneal shunt at 7 mos and complicated by meningitis and cerebellar abscess at 9 mos of age. CT scans with enhancement and bone window setting revealed the midline bony defect and low density lesion with ring enhancement in the posterior fossa. [1]
COMMENT. Recurrent meningitis or brain abscess in an infant or young child should prompt a search for a sinus, fistula, and bone defect in the occipital area. Dermoid cysts of the cerebellum and posterior fossa account for 2% of intracranial tumors in children. Astrocytoma, medulloblastoma, brain stem glioma, and ependymoma of the IVth ventricle are the most frequently encountered IC tumors.