Endoscopic management of posterior fossa arachnoid cyst in an adult: case report and technical note

Abstract

The authors report a case of large arachnoid cysts of the posterior fossa treated by endoscopic surgery. A 40-year-old man was admitted with a 3-month history of headache and progressive gait imbalance, with no significant medical history. At the time of admission, neurological examination revealed no abnormalities except for tandem imbalance. Brain computerized tomography (CT) scan and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed a posterior fossa arachnoid cyst (PFAC) causing brain stem compression accompanied by hydrocephalus. The patient was treated by endoscopic fenestration of the cyst with a paramedian suboccipital transcortical approach. Postoperatively the patient's complaints showed improvement and he was discharged with no complications. Follow up MRI showed a decrease in the cyst's size and the hydrocephalus with decompression of the brain stem.