[Cerebellar abscess caused by an occipital dermal sinus in an infant].

A 7.5-month-old girl was admitted with the clinical signs and symptoms of raised intracranial pressure. This was caused by an obstructive hydrocephalus, due to cerebellar abscesses induced by an infected contiguous complete occipital dermal sinus. Staphylococcus aureus was cultured. The patient was treated by radical excision of the dermal sinus and the abscesses after initial external drainage of the lateral cerebral ventricle, followed by systemic antibiotic therapy. The different types of dermoid cysts of the posterior cranial fossa are described. Early detection of congenital dermal abnormalities along the craniospinal axis by routine examination of newborns is prognostically important. Computerised tomography or magnetic resonance imaging are the methods of choice for further investigation of suspect dermal lesions.