Isolated central canal rupture of spinal dermoid. Report of 3 cases.

Spinal dermoid tumors are rare, benign, slow-growing tumors. Rupture of spinal dermoids, in contrast to cranial dermoids, is rarely reported. Rupture in the central canal alone is even more rare, with only a few cases reported in the literature. The presence of fat droplets within the central canal is unusual because the central canal is rudimentary in adults. The authors report 3 such cases and review the pertinent literature.