Case
About this case
Operative video: Arachnoid Cyst. The background notes below summarise the anatomy, pathology and approach, with published references.
Reference notes
Background
Notes on this case’s cranial location, pathology and surgical approach, with published sources. General education only, not advice for any individual patient.
Pathology
Arachnoid Cyst
Arachnoid cysts are benign, CSF-filled collections within a split of the arachnoid membrane, most often in the middle cranial fossa. Most are congenital and incidental, but larger cysts can cause headache and mass effect or, when they haemorrhage, present acutely.
Symptomatic cysts are treated by fenestration — open or endoscopic — into adjacent cisterns, or by cystoperitoneal shunting when fenestration fails.