Mass phenomena from a cerebellopontine angle arachnoid cyst: case report

Abstract

Introduction. Arachnoid cysts are benign lesions comprising about 1 % of all intracranial space occupying lesions. The majority are asymptomatic, while surgical intervention, consisting of fenestration, is suggested in the presence of mass phenomena.The aim of the study – to present the case of a patient with arachnoid cysts in the cerebellopontine angle and its treatment.Materials and methods. A 53‑years old female patient was referred to our Department of Neurosurgery for the surgical management of a cerebellopontine angle mass. The patient reported tingling sensation and causalgia of her left hemiface, dysarthria, hoarseness, difficulty swallowing solid food and liquids, tinnitus and pain distributed along the ophthalmic branch of the trigeminal nerve.Results. The patient was subjected to retrosigmoid craniotomy with fenestration of the cyst and concurrent placement of a Torkildsen shunt. No complete resection of the capsule of the cyst was attempted, due to its tight adhesions to the adjacent structures. Postoperatively, there was an improvement in the dysarthria and swallowing of the patient.Conclusions. Cerebellopontine angle cystic lesions while histologically benign, may become clinically apparent due to compression of adjacent structures. Simple fenestration of the cyst may be sufficient for the remission of symptoms.