INTRACRANIAL ARACHNOID CYSTS IN CHILDREN - RELATED SIGNS AND ASSOCIATED ANOMALIES

Intracranial arachnoid cysts are benign development anomalies that may be clinically asymptomatic. The authors describe 30 children with int racranial arachnoid cysts in terms of clinical manifestations and rela tions to the associated brain anomalies or lesions, The mean age sat o nset of clinical manifestations was 4 years, 7 months (range 1 day to 14 years), The mean age at diagnosis was 6 years, 2 months (range 10 d ays tee 14 years). Most patients with nonprogressive symptoms, such as seizures and headache, had focal epileptiform discharges on electroen cephalogram, and they benefited from antiepileptic drugs. Surgery resu lted in only partial reduction in both cyst size and seizure frequency ire patients with intractable seizures, and it also failed tea improv e some neurologic signs, such as sexual precocity or cranial neuropath y resulting from long-term compression of arachnoid cysts. We conclude that the only absolute indication for surgery is the presence of prog ressive hydrocephalus or intracranial hypertension. The associated ano malies or lesions include brain tumors, giant nevocellular nevi, achon droplasia, microphthalmia, intracystic hemorrhage, dysgenesis of the c orpus callosum, and heterotopia. (C) 1998 by Elsevier Science Inc, All rights reserved.