Huge pineal teratoma mimicking a dermoid cyst. Case report.

A case of huge pineal teratoma mimicking a dermoid cyst is reported. Although both computed tomography and surgical findings were entirely similar to those of a dermoid cyst, close histological examinations using the serial sectioning technique of a small solid portion attached to the pineal region revealed tissue components of both mesodermal and entodermal origins among mostly epidermal and dermal components. The importance of serial sectioning of the surgical specimens of seemingly a dermoid cyst is stressed.