Discovering a new era of arachnoid cyst pathophysiology as a non-functional intracranial lesion and its relationship to vascular laterality and hemispheric dominance: a review

Abstract

Arachnoid cysts (ACs) are one of the most prominent intracranial lesions. Many studies have attempted to analyze several pathophysiological and histopathological features of ACs. Therefore, this literature review aims to summarize the findings regarding AC laterality and hemispheric dominance. For that purpose, a thorough literature search was conducted using PubMed and Google Scholar to review relevant articles. The systematic search yielded findings of significant dominant occurrence of ACs in the left hemisphere, accounting for 66% of cases. Nevertheless, there were some reports indicating rare anatomical sites involving the third ventricle. However, lateral dominance was signified in rare co-occurrences between ACs and other pathologies such as aneurysms and pediatric choroid plexus papilloma. Overall, this review concluded that there is a substantial relationship between ACs and their laterality and hemispheric dominance.