Intramedullary Arachnoid Cyst of the Cervical Spine: Case Report and Literature Review

• Main Authors: Saleh Baeesa, Abdalrahman Aljameely
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Thieme Revinter Publicações Ltda. 2017-09-01
• Series: Brazilian Neurosurgery
• Subjects: arachnoid cyst; intramedullary; cervical spine; case report
• Online Access: http://www.thieme-connect.de/DOI/DOI?10.1055/s-0037-1606816

Intramedullary arachnoid cysts of the spinal cord are extremely rare benign lesions of unclear pathogenesis. To our knowledge, only 21 cases were reported in the literature, 10 of which involved the cervical spine. We report the case of a 47-year-old female who presented with a symptomatic spinal intramedullary arachnoid cyst (SIAC). Magnetic resonance imaging scan of the cervical spine demonstrated an intramedullary arachnoid cyst at C3-C5 level. The patient had a cervical laminectomy and cysto-subarachnoid shunt with rapid and excellent clinical recovery and no recurrence at 2-year follow-up. Intramedullary arachnoid cysts should be considered in the differential diagnosis of intramedullary cystic lesions of the spinal cord. Their pathogenesis and natural history are not well defined in the literature. However, a cysto-subarachnoid shunt can be performed with excellent long-term clinical and radiological results.