TRAUMATIC EPITHELIAL CYSTS OF THE SKIN

Abstract

In 1855, Wernher¹reported the excision of a nut-sized cystic tumor from the palm of a thresher. Mouron²later described cystic tumors occurring on the fingers of working people. These have since been reported under various names and have been described as subcutaneous hard, round, cystic tumors of varying size, occurring most often on the palmar surface of the hands and fingers and occasionally on the feet, and usually resulting from injury. The name "traumatic epithelial cysts of the skin" aptly expresses the traumatic etiology, the cutaneous site and the cystic nature of the tumors. The condition has also been known as "kystes epidermiques des doigts" (Reverdin³), "kystes dermoides" (Rizet⁴), "traumatic epithelial cysts" (Garre⁵), "epidermoide" (Franke⁶), "atheroma" (Schweninger⁷), "traumatic epidermic cysts" (Unna⁸and Darier⁹), "implantation cysts" (Sutton¹⁰), "traumatic epidermoid" (Blond¹¹), "implantation dermoid" (Burrows¹²) and "epithelial cysts of traumatic