Re: Arachnoid Cyst

Posted By CCF neuro MD MM on November 19, 1998 at 12:32:28:

In Reply to: Arachnoid Cyst posted by Roy on November 19, 1998 at 04:23:51:






Hello,
Im a 29 y/o male with symptoms that include pressure headaches, vision
disturbances, bilateral weakness in my arms, and others that have been
called "insignificant". I've had these symptoms for about a year now.
After many tests, the only abnormality is a 3.8x2.0cm  arachnoid cyst in
the anterior aspect of the left temporal fossa, with associated mild
hypoplasia of the left temporal tip. A neurologist and the doctors making
the MRI reports all say that the cyst is congenital and is not related to
my symptoms. I find this very hard to believe. I've been having a painless
pressure sensation in around the same area as the cyst. (This was before
I saw the films, so this is not psychosomatic or all in my head, so to
speak) I feel like I'm getting the run around from every doctor that I see.
Is it a coincidence that this forum and other neuro forums have many, many
posts from people that have neurological problems and arachnoid cysts to
which every response is, "arachnoid cysts are congenital and shouldnt be
related to your problems...blah blah blah etc...")
My questions are :
- Are there other tests that might be helpful? spec scan?
- My symptoms started after a viral infection or two, and a period of
some very intense prolonged stress. Could this have had an effect such as
a weakening of some outer brain covering and that in effect caused the cyst
to expand?
- If by some miracle I find a doctor that thinks that fenestration
or some other procedure to drain the cyst would be helpful, could THAT have
an unfavourable outcome since the cyst has been applying pressure to my
left temporal lobe for a about a year ?



=
Probably the reason that multiple physicians have said that these cysts
do not cause symptoms is not so much because of coincidence but because it
happens to be true, modern neuro-imaging allows us to find lots of
incidental ( to the actual symptom the scan was preformed to investigate )
anomalies in the brain but the fact that something is found does not mean
it is the cause of the symptoms, it also need to affect the areas of the
brain which governs the function affected.
A cyst at the tip of the temporal lobe cannot cause bilateral weakness or
vision problems.
A  SPECT scan could show an area of reduced activity corresponding to the
cyst, ( since it doesn't contain nerve cells ) but we know that
already fronm the MRI scan.
The viral infection might possibly be linked to your symptoms but not in
the way you suggest, no other hypothesis comes to mind.
I do not think performing surgery on the cyst would have any effects good
or bad, apart from the usual risks of surgery.
I do not know if your doctors are with holding information but I cannot
envisage any relevant material relating to this cyst which they could either
disclose or withhold.