Arachnoid Cyst

My son had an arachnoid cyst removed at the age of 9. He suffered with severe migraines and lost the ability to walk. Post Op he lost complete hearing in his left ear, but we can live with that. He has done wonderful since his surgery. He is now 18 years old and  is now suffering from severe back pain radiating into the (R) flank and abdomen. This has gone on for quite a while. He has had CT's of the abdomen and colonoscopy have been clear. The doctor has ordered an MRI of the spine. He suspects and arachnoid cyst of the spine since he had a previous cyst in the brain. Does him having a previous cyst predispose him to another in the spine. Is this a normal occurance.

[Abhijeet Deshmukh, MD]

Hi.

There are not may references of a predisposition to spinal cyst after having a previous cyst in the brain. But there are cases where the cyst has recurred after a successful surgical removal.

The MRI will probably make the picture more clear.

Regards

DrAbhijeetMD