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Neurology  (Expert Forum)
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Arachnoid Cyst
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MedHelp Member's Question

Arachnoid Cyst

by tena, Apr 04, 2002 12:00AM
My daughter age 20 was diagnosed with an Arachnoid Cyst at 14found accidently with MRI done for Migraine/Seizures, she has bilateral 30% hearing loss.  The cyst report stated Large cystic mass 2 cm x 1.4 cm in AP dimension within the quadrigeminal cistern closely approximates CSF signal on all images with adjacent linear & tubular areas of flow void with small areas of enhancement at the peripheral margins. Areas most likely represent adjacent vascular structures .  No definite solid component demonstrated.  Remainder normal no evidence of acute hemmorrhage focal parenchymal signa abnormality or territorial infarction.  Normal flow void persists within the major vessels at the base of brain.  Paranasal sinuses remain unremarkable, sellar structures normal. This elevates the posterior body  & the spenium of the courpus callosum & compresses the tectum and cerebral aqueduct no evidence for associated hydrocephalus. I was told by 4 doctors that the cyst was not causing her symptoms and to leave it alone.  There have been no symptoms for 4 years she is healthy and normal. Will flying affect this cyst, I am very concerned and afraid for her to fly? Do you think her symptoms were caused by the cyst?  If this cyst ever needed surgery considering it's position in the brain, can that be done?Is it likely that this cyst will grow? Seizure like smyptoms lasted 1 year from age 14 to 15 and have disapeared.Is is possible that the cyst has disapeared? She is flying very soon and I cannot find any information about the dangers of flying, that is my main question.  Thank you very much
Doctor's Answer

by CCF-Neuro-M.D.-JT, Apr 10, 2002 12:00AM
Sorry to hear about your daughter's symptoms. It's extremely difficult to try to comment on an MRI that I have not personally seen and prognosticate when I have not examined the patient or taken a full history. What I can tell you is that although arachnoid cysts can cause seizures depending on their location (they should be at the surface of the brain, theoretically irritating the cerebral cortex to cause seizure), your daughter;s cyst is too deep in her brain to be the cause of her seizures. ANd if the cyst is not blocking anything as mentioned in the report (no evidence for hydrocephalus) then theoretically it should not be causing her migraines either - although it is a possibility depending on where it is exactly (I really have to see it myself). As for your concerns about her flying, there shouldn't be any problems with regards to the cyst. Best of luck to your daughter.
Member Comments (27)

by kd re: longstanding MR, Apr 04, 2002 12:00AM
I am not the neurologist, obviously.  However, my son has a very large arachnoid cyst.  It existed since birth but we did not find it until he was 7.  (Docs kept ignoring us and we finally got in to see neuro and he thought it was migraine, did the MRI just to cover the bases, and found the cyst.  He has had 2 surgeries to lessen the pressure on the brain by the cyst.  He had been having a headache every night after he went to bed.  The headache was in the center front of his head.  Having his head elevated with 2 pillows helped.  Apparently where the cyst pressure was pushing on the brain changed when he was lying down causing the headache.  He was also not continent until he had the second surgery.  The cyst is still there only slightly smaller and that is all that he needed.  He does have some hydrocephalus (a bigger head than normal) but he is doing ok.  He gets As and Bs in school.  Anyway, the point is that before we knew about the cyst, he flew without difficulty and after he had the surgeries, in spited of the continued cyst, he has flown without problems.  That doesn't mean the neuro here doesn't have different advice.  This is just our experience.  All children/cysts are different.  BTW:  How did your daughter get the cyst?  Did anyone say?  Did she get hit on the head or fall before all this started?  From what I understand, that is a common way for them to occur.  Also, from what I understand, many people have them and it doesn't cause them any problems.  My son's did because it was a congenital problem and because of its location.

I'm sorry your daughter has this.  Hopefully the neuro will have something that will help.

by tena, Apr 04, 2002 12:00AM
Hello KD, I want to thank you so much for writing your response to my letter.I'm sorry to hear that your son has a cyst too.  But it sounds like he's doing very well.When my daughter was 2, she fell and hit her head,concrete floor.She started to pass out and I rushed her to the ER.They kept her overnight, never did an MRI or CT scan and said she would be fine.She did vomit for hours after the fall.When she was 4 she was diagnosed with bilateral hearing loss and they said she was born that way and it was nerve damage.At age 14 she began having a type of seizure.One doc said seizure the other said migraine.It was a partial seizure without the jerking with a blindingheadache.This is why we hadMRI and cyst was discovered.I had 2 neurologist & 2 neurosurgeons check her all agreeing to leave the cyst alonethat it was not causing any symptoms.She still has the hearing loss,seizures lasted a year and have since disapeared, she is now 20.Thank you very much about the flying info, I can't tell you how much I appreciate that.Because of the hearing, they said she would never learn in regular classes without hearing aids.She proved them wrong top A's Excelerated classes also musically talented.I'm lucky.Thanks again, the best with your son.I don't think these cysts are as rare as they say.Good Luck

by KatieDee, Apr 05, 2002 12:00AM
I have a 9 yr. old son who was diagnosed with epilepsy in 1999.  At the time of doing the MRI they also found an arachnoid cyst 2x1.5 cm.  He's been to different epileptologists and each one has told us that the cyst was just an incidental finding and that in most cases you are born with it, that it develops when the fetus is developing.  They also said not to worry about it.  However, I find it noteworthy that I've seen messages from several people who have seizures and a cyst.  I've been told that they can get larger or smaller, but usually don't go away.  In our son's case, he has no history of any previous injury that would account for his seizures or the cyst.  We live in a very large metroplex where the best doctors are available, but I still question the "don't worry about it" attitude.  They may be right, but I have to admit that I do wonder about the effects of a cyst, especially where there is no know etiology for the seizures.

by tena, Apr 05, 2002 12:00AM
Hi Katiedee thanks for posting.I totally agree with you and I know just what you are feeling.I also asked all 4 doctors that checked my daughter,they all said the same thing.Don't worry about it,it's not causing the seizures.You're right also about all these people with cysts and seizures.It's no coincidence and I don't believe it for a second.They also told me that the cyst has nothing to do with her hearing loss, I don't believe that either.I live in NY and had Dr. Fred Epstein, a world reknown pediatric neurosurgeon look at her MRI