Spinal Intramedullary Arachnoid Cyst in Children

Abstract

The authors report an unusual case of a child who presented with progressive paraparesis that lasted 15 days, revealing an intramedullary cystic lesion extending from T₃ to T₄ as detected with spine magnetic resonance imaging. A laminotomy from T₃ to T₄ was performed and the lesion removed. Histopathological findings confirmed the diagnosis of arachnoid cyst. After surgery, the patient’s neurological status improved. At the 4-month follow-up examination, the results of his neurological examinations remained normal. Arachnoid cyst is an entity that should be included in the differential diagnosis of intramedullary cystic lesions.

Intramedullary arachnoid cyst: Report of two cases

“…All previously reported patients, except one, belonged to the pediatric age group and none involved the conus medullaris. [3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10] Here, we report two cases with intramedullary arachnoid cyst in the conus, confirmed on histopathology examination. Another case, a 40-year-old female presented with progressive paraparesis and urinary symptoms of six months duration.…”

An Adult Cervical Intramedullary Arachnoid Cyst: Case Report and Review

“…All cases of purely intramedullary arachnoid cysts reported in the literature showed a growth overtime accompanied by sudden neurological deterioration, requiring immediate surgical evacuation [3,4,[6][7][8][9][10][11][13][14][15][16][17][18]. To date, there is no existing literature on a quiescent intramedullary arachnoid cyst detected incidentally in an asymptomatic subject [10].…”

“…None of these showed worsening of the preoperative neurological deficits. Instead all the patients presented a clear improvement during the first weeks following the procedure, which was independent from the duration or severity of symptoms [3,4,[6][7][8][9][10][11][13][14][15][16][17][18]. The authors report the only published case of intramedullary adult arachnoid cyst with neurological stability during follow-up (five years), and managed with a wait and scan approach.…”

“…They are often diagnosed incidentally. Nonetheless, they are known to cause spinal cord or nerve roots compression and become clinically relevant in rare cases [2][3][4]. The pathogenesis of these lesions remains unclear, and various causes, including congenital, traumatic or inflammatory, are proposed [5].…”

Uncommon Clinical Manifestations of Cysticercosis

“…As we before-mentioned, on very rare occasions IMNCC is confirmed. [153] The differential diagnosis for the IMNCC presentation includes the IM abscess [154], other parasitic diseases such as hydatid cysts, neoplasias (ependymomas), traumatic lesions, sarcoidosis [155], arachnoid cysts [156], ependymal cysts [157] and neuroenteric cysts. [158] In the presentation EM include congenital cystic lesions (dermoides cysts); infectious diseases, demyelinating disorders, inflammatory or granulomatous, such as tuberculosis and sarcoidosis, and neoplasms.…”