Since there are few reported cases of epidermoid or dermoid tumor of the spinal cord, fewer in which operation was performed and still fewer in which improvement followed operation, it is considered important from a diagnostic and therapeutic standpoint to place this single case on record.
Gross1 found reports in the literature of 19 cases of epidermoid or dermoid tumor of the spinal cord and added 1 case in which operation was performed by Dr. Percival Bailey, of Chicago. In a review of these cases, Gross stated:
The tumors which are included in this group vary somewhat in their structure and in their relation to the spinal cord and its membranes. An analysis of the cases, including the one herein reported, reveals the following: of twenty cases, nine were in females, ten in males, and in one the sex was not stated. The youngest patient was an anencephalic monster