title: Cervicothoracic extradural arachnoid cyst: possible association with obstetric brachial plexus palsy.
abstract: The association of cervicothoracic extradural arachnoid cysts and obstetric brachial plexus palsy has not previously been reported. We report two patients with this association. The first patient is a 9-month-old boy with left obstetric brachial plexus palsy that developed bilateral leg weakness at 6 months of age owing to compression of the spinal cord by a C6 to T8 left cervicothoracic extradural arachnoid cyst. The second patient is a 3-year-old girl with bilateral brachial plexus palsy and spastic paraparesis who had magnetic resonance imaging at 3 days of age that showed intraspinal cord injury and a cervicothoracic extradural arachnoid cyst compressing the spinal cord. We believe that the association of cervicothoracic epidural arachnoid cysts and obstetric brachial plexus palsy in these patients was causal and recommend that the possibility of a cervicothoracic epidural arachnoid cyst be considered in patients with brachial plexus palsy and evidence of spinal cord injury.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Hospital Clinico San Carlos, Universidad Complutense, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Miravet
authors.forename: Scarlett
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sinisterra
authors.forename: Sherri
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Birchansky
authors.forename: Oscar
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Papazian
authors.forename: Gerry
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tuite
authors.forename: John A I
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Grossman
authors.forename: Israel
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Alfonso
mesh_terms: D016080:Arachnoid Cysts / Q000150:complications*; D001720:Birth Injuries / Q000150:complications*; D020516:Brachial Plexus Neuropathies / Q000150:complications* / Q000209:etiology; D002574:Cervical Vertebrae; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D020336:Paraparesis, Spastic / Q000209:etiology; D013117:Spinal Cord Compression / Q000209:etiology; D013118:Spinal Cord Diseases / Q000150:complications*; D013904:Thoracic Vertebrae