An inflamed epidermal cyst treated with a vacuum-assisted biopsy device

Inflamed epidermal cysts (ECs) are typically excised once inflammation subsides. Although incision and drainage are usually performed to reduce inflammation, we herein report a case of an inflamed EC, which was treated using a vacuum-assisted biopsy device (VABD). A 93-year-old woman presented with pain and redness in the left breast. We treated using VABD to achieve maximal lesion removal, and conducted a pathological examination of the obtained tissue. The lesion was pathologically diagnosed as an EC. Although the pain and inflammation had subsided within a week of treatment, a red nodule persisted. Because a remnant of the cyst wall was suspected, the lesion was excised and subsequently pathologically confirmed as a cyst remnant. While complete removal of an EC is challenging using VABD alone, the technique facilitates a reduction in inflammation.