What does a pineal cyst mean?

[Jessi992]

Hi.
Firstly, I am not entirely sure what section a pineal cyst comes under therefore i apologise if i have put it under the wrong topic. I am 16 and have been told i have a 10mm pineal cyst in my brain. I went to the doctors as i had been suffering from random, painful headaches for a year with slight dizzyness. They sent me for an MRI scan which showed i have this cyst, however they said they do not believe that is what is causing my symptoms and should have some physio instead as they believe it might be due to muscle tension in my neck.
I would very much like to understand what a pineal cyst is as i don't know what it is or how it is caused, and i also know i should trust what they say now, but i am growing tired of having headaches everyday, so i was wandering if it was possible that this cyst could be the cause of my headaches, and what i should do.
Thank you for your help.

[NatieC]

Hi,

I am 22 years old and two weeks ago i was diagnosed with a pineal gland cyst? The MRI results labeled it as a cyst, but my GP kept referring to it as a tumor, so I'm really confused. I've had intense headaches for the last eight months or so, and have significant trouble concentrating on tasks and am having a harder time remembering things, but not a lot of other symptoms that I'm reading other people are experiencing, like blackouts, seizures, vision loss, etc. I do have a lot of trouble sleeping, and can wake up from a 12 hour night of sleep and still feel exhausted. What I'm hoping someone will tell me is if the absence of these more serious sounding symptoms may mean that my case isn't as serious? Or are symptoms not necessarily an indicator of the severity of your condition? My tumor is 11.3mm x 10 mm. I have a week and a half more to go before I see the neurologist, and I don't want to allow myself to believe that my case is no big deal because I'm not blacking out or anything until someone can confirm it for me.

                                                               Thanks

[DrNoopurMD]

Hi,

Pineal gland is a small endocrine gland in the brain and pineal cyst is a small fluid filled cavity in the pineal gland. Pineal cysts are usually asymptomatic and are incidental finding on brain MRI. They rarely enlarge more than 2 cm and when they do they generally produce symptoms like headaches, visual disturbances and hydrocephalus.
Since in your case pineal cyst is about 10 mm it is very unlikely that it is producing symptoms of headache.
I would suggest you to do some gentle neck exercises and apply warm moist compresses to the neck to relieve muscle tension and see if it helps with your headache.

Thanks