title: Intracranial arachnoidal cysts.
abstract: Twenty-eight cases of intracranial arachnoidal cysts diagnosed during the period 1978-1990 are analyzed. All cases were investigated with computed tomography (CT), 5 with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and 5 with ultrasonography (US). Seventeen were located in the middle cranial fossa, 3 in the quadrigeminal cistern, 2 were parasagittal, 3 suprasellar and 3 were located in the posterior fossa. Twenty-three of the 28 patients were treated surgically, craniotomy with fenestrations was used in 3 cases. Different varieties of shunts were inserted in 8 cases and in the last 15 patients the only surgical treatment was the insertion of cysto-peritoneal (CP) drainage (without a valve) with excellent results. MRI and/or CT follow-up revealed disappearance of the cyst in 13 out of 22 cases and 7 experienced a marked reduction. In 2 patients the cyst showed little change. There were no cases of infection and no deaths.
authors.affiliation: Neurosurgical Unit, Clinica Las Condes, Santiago, Chile.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Basauri
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Selman
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D016080:Arachnoid Cysts / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery*; D002557:Cerebrospinal Fluid Shunts; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004453:Echoencephalography; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009460:Neurologic Examination; D010537:Peritoneum; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000175:diagnosis; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed