title: Blake's pouch cyst.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In 1900, Joseph Blake described a transient posterior evagination of the tela choroidea of the fourth ventricle in the normal 130-day old human embryo. He was the first to recognize and fully elucidate on the real nature of the foramen of Magendie as an aperture, which develops within a saccular expansion of the embryonic fourth ventricular cavity. The persistence of this temporary fourth ventricular outpouching into the postnatal period and its significance either as separate entity or as an entity within the Dandy-Walker continuum has over the years been one of the most controversial topics in both neurosurgical and neuroradiological literature.
  
  
  METHODS
  A search of the medical literature was conducted for publications addressing the historical, embryological, and neuororadiological features as well as the clinical presentation and management of persistent Blake's pouch.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The literature on the various features of Blake's pouch cyst has limited areas of consensus between various authors.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Blake's pouch cyst is a rare entity that is thought to belong to the Dandy-Walker continuum. It has a variable clinical presentation and when symptomatic can be treated with an endoscopic third ventriculostomy or shunting.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Ibn Sina Hospital, Kuwait City, Kuwait.
authors.forename: Waleed A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Azab
authors.affiliation: Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Ibn Sina Hospital, Kuwait City, Kuwait.
authors.forename: Sherien A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Shohoud
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Ibn Sina Hospital, Kuwait City, Kuwait ; Department of Neurosurgery, Ain Shams Faculty of Medicine, Cairo, Egypt.
authors.forename: Tamer M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Elmansoury
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Ibn Sina Hospital, Kuwait City, Kuwait.
authors.forename: Waleed
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Salaheddin
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Ibn Sina Hospital, Kuwait City, Kuwait.
authors.forename: Khurram
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nasim
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Ibn Sina Hospital, Kuwait City, Kuwait.
authors.forename: Aslam
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Parwez
keywords: Blake's pouch cyst; Dandy–Walker continuum; endoscopic; ventriculostomy
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