Choroidal Epithelial Cyst in the Cerebellopontine Angle associated with Trigeminal Neuralgia

Abstract

The authors describe the case of a 37-year-old female with a symptomatic epithelial cyst in the cerebellopontine angle, which is extremely rare. The cyst caused trigeminal neuralgia, which complete ly disappeared following its removal. The histological diagnosis was choroidal epithelial fluid-filled cyst. The wall of the cyst consisted of a single layer of epithelial cells with microvilli and a basement membrane.

Hearing Loss Attributable to a Cerebellopontine-Angle Arachnoid Cyst in a Child

“…A congenital cyst contains arachnoid cells connected with unchanged arachnoid matter, whereas secondary cysts are surrounded by arachnoid scarring [3]. Furthermore, histological and immunohistochemical examinations may also distinguish AC from other central nervous system epithelium-lined cysts, such as neuroepithelial and enterogenous cysts [21, 22], but these distinctions are not mandatory because they are unlikely to influence management. …”

Episodic facial palsy due to epithelial cyst of the cerebellopontine angle: case report and review of the literature

“…13,19,22,24 The most common cyst content was fluid, which typically appears as homogeneous low intensity on the T1-weighted images and homogeneous high intensity on the T2-weighted images. 2,13,17,18,22,[25][26][27] The majority of cases occur in young patients, usually in the third or fourth decade. They usually present with cranial nerve impairment on the affected side, but the presenting symptoms may be highly variable and include headache, cerebellar symptoms, hemifacial spasm and meningitis!…”

“…The results of surgical excision of cerebellopontine angle epithelial cysts are usually good with a very low risk of recurrence. 2,13,16,20,21,23,25,27 Episodic facial palsy Episodic facial palsy has been previously described in relation to variety of medical conditions. Diabetes mellitus, migraine, demyelinating diseases, myasthenia gravis are known to cause recurrent episodes of facial palsy.…”

“…1 Epithelial cysts of the cerebellopontine angle are extremely rare lesions which can present with a more varied spectrum of symptoms. 2 We describe a case of cerebellopontine angle epithelial cyst presenting with the uncommon phenomenon of episodic facial palsy, a symptom generally associated with 'medical' neurological conditions. [3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12] Case report A 25-year-old female presented with two episodes of left facial palsy.…”

“… 2,13,[16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27]. CT shows the cysts as homogeneous low-density areas with no postcontrast enhancement; however, in a few cases, postcontrast rim enhancement was seen 2.…”