Computed Tomographic Characteristics Associated With Novel Case of Ossified Pharyngeal Dermoid Cyst in Juvenile Canine

A 6-month-old, intact female Boxer presented with ongoing dyspnea, nasal congestion, cardiac arrhythmias, stertor, and syncope. A CT assessment of the head, neck, thorax, and abdomen revealed a fluid to soft tissue attenuating mass with an incomplete mineralized rim centered on the soft tissue ventral to the right tympanic bulla. Histopathologically, epithelialization was consistent with a dermoid cyst. The severe degree of mass effect caused by this abnormally and undocumented ossified structure in vital cranial cervical organs causes more systemic complications than traditional dermoid cysts. CT delineated the cyst's structure and compression/occlusion of adjacent structures.