Results of Surgical Treatment in Patients with Intracranial Arachnoid Cyst During Last 5 Years in a Referral Center in a Developing Country: Shiraz, Iran

Abstract

To report the outcome of surgical intervention in patients diagnosed with arachnoid cyst (AC) during the last 5 years in Namazi Hospital, a tertiary center in Southern Iran. Hospitalization records of patients who had undergone surgical treatment of symptomatic intracranial AC in our center were surveyed retrospectively. Radiologic imaging was extracted from the picture archiving and communication system and analyzed. Postoperative evaluation of patients was conducted in neurosurgery clinic during their routine follow-up. Twenty-nine patients (11 female, 18 male) with an age range of 13 days to 35 years were enrolled in this study. Most (62%) of all ACs were in the temporal area, 12% in the suprasellar region, 6% in the quadrigeminal region, 6% in the cerebellopontine angle, and 3% in the anterior frontal area. Twenty-six endoscopic intervention, 2 microsurgical resection, and 1 cystoperitoneal shunt were performed. All of the patients showed complete resolution or improvement in symptoms. Eighty-nine percent of patients also showed reduction in the cyst size. Ten patients had transient postoperative complications, which were resolved at the time of follow-up. Diagnosis and appropriate surgical treatment of AC can alleviate the symptoms in patients who fulfill the criteria for surgery. Neuroendoscopy can provide a satisfactory result in symptomatic patients, whilst having less invasiveness and long-term complications. Reoperation should also be considered in situations where medical therapy fails to manage the complications.