Colloid cyst

Hello,  My 23 yr. old son was diagnosed with a colloid cyst in Dec. 2009.  It was discovered by accident with a CT scan.  He has never had any symptoms from this, and he saw a neurosurgeon who looked at the scan and told him he probably had nothing to worry about.  He still has no symtoms (symptoms).  My question is, do these things always continue to grow, and do you always need surgery.  I have been researching about this and I find it very disturbing.  I've read that some people have surgery and some don't, depending on the size.  His was very small at the time.  But, he was in an accident at 16 and had to have a CT done and they found nothing then.  I know hydrocephalus is a result of these things, and it can be life threatening.  I hope you can give me some answers.  Thank you.

[Christopher R Newey, DO]

Thanks for using the forum. I am happy to address your questions, and my answer will be based on the information you provided here. Please make sure you recognize that this forum is for educational purposes only, and it does not substitute for a formal office visit with a doctor.

Without the ability to examine and obtain a history, I can not tell you what the exact cause of the symptoms is. However I will try to provide you with some useful information.

Colloid cysts are tumors of an area called the third ventricle. They are typically considered a developmental tumor rather than a neoplastic tumor. The relevance of these tumors is their location. They can cause blockage of the drainage of the CSF (fluid in and around the brain and spinal cord) leading to headaches and hydrocephalus, to name a few symptoms. Classically, they are symptomatic when a person lays flat. These are typically incidental findings. Once found, they are then monitored for progression/symptoms. Surgery is based on these.

It sounds like your son has a neurosurgeon following. Has the surgeon looked at the CT images from the age of 16 and compared to the current ones? It may have been missed on the initial read (either by the slice thickness of the image acquisition or interpretation).

Thank you for this opportunity to answer your questions, I hope you find the information I have provided useful, good luck.