Re: Arachnoid Cyst

Posted By CCF NSG MD /gsh on August 19, 1998 at 16:30:14:

In Reply to: Arachnoid Cyst posted by Roy on August 19, 1998 at 15:56:01:






Hello,I'm a 28 y/o male thats been having neurological problems for about 10 months.
After a bout with the flu or something that felt pretty similar to it, I started to experience lightheadedness, arm weakness and pressure in the front part of my head. After seeing several doctors I finally went to see a neurologist who sent me for an MRI.
The findings were : A 3.3 x 1.8 cm. cresentric shaped, extra axial fluid collection in the anterior margin of the middle cranial fossa extending into the inferior aspect of the left sylvian fissure, consistent in appearance with the presence of an arachnoid cyst. It follows the signal intensity of CSF on all pulse sequences. Branches of the middle cerebral artery are seen along the deep margin of the cyst. There is posterior displacement of the adjacent portion of the left temporal lobe.
My questions are could this cyst have formed from a viral infection ?
And could this be what's causing my problems?
Any response would be greatly appreciated
Thanks
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Dear Roy,
Arachnoid cysts are congenital (you're born with it) collections of spinal fluid that typically appear in the anterior middle fossa.  From your description of the MRI, it sounds like you do indeed have an arachnoid cyst.  Your recent viral infection, however, is not related to the presence of the cyst.  If large enough, an arachnoid cysts may cause symptoms similar to what you have described, namely headaches and weakness on the opposite side of the body.
When symptomatic, a neurosurgeon has several choices to treat the cyst.  The simplest is just to drain the cyst, but they often fill up again rather quickly.  Surgery can be done to drain the cyst internally, called a fenestration, and this may or may not be combined with a shunt to drain the cyst into the abdominal cavity.
You may choose to seek consultation from a neurosurgeon for an evaluation.
Many arachnoid cysts can be managed with observation alone, but yours may be the source of your present symptoms.  If this is the case, then the neurosurgeon will likely recommend one of the procedures discussed above.
Good luck.