Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Anterior cervical intradural arachnoid cyst, a rare cause of spinal cord compression: a case report with video systematic literature review

  • Case Report
  • Published:
European Spine Journal Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

Mostly seen at the thoracic level, arachnoid cysts are a very rare cause of cervical spinal cord compression. Generally treated by laminectomy and cyst fenestration, this approach does not allow removing the cyst in its entirety without manipulating the weakened spinal cord. The aim of this report is to present the case of a cervical intradural arachnoid cyst surgically removed by an anterior approach with corporectomy.

Methods

Here is the case of an 18-year-old amateur boxer presenting with a voluminous cervical intradural anterior arachnoid cyst, extending from C2 to C5. Symptoms were cervical pain, quadriparesis, and clumsiness of both arms which had appeared just after a traffic accident. An anterior approach was chosen, through a C5 corporectomy.

Results

The patient totally recovered from his sensitive symptoms at discharge and from his motor symptoms 6 weeks later. Early as well as 3-years post-operatively, MRI confirmed expansion of the spinal cord without any centro-medullar signal. The patient remained asymptomatic 3 years after surgery. Since the first report in 1974, 16 cases of symptomatic cervical intradural arachnoid cysts were treated via a posterior approach, one by MRI-guided biopsy, and one was re-operated on through an anterior approach. For 14 patients, their conditions had improved, while one died of pneumonia, one presented a condition worsened, and one had a stable neurological status.

Conclusion

Using an anterior approach is a safe procedure that allows resection of a cervical arachnoid cyst without any manipulation of the weakened spinal cord, while giving the best possible view.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10
Fig. 11
Fig. 12

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Kazan S, Ozdemir O, Akyuz M, Tuncer R (1999) Spinal intradural arachnoid cysts located anterior to the cervical spinal cord. Report of two cases and review of the literature. J Neurosurg 91(2 Suppl):211–215

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Muthukumar N (2004) Anterior cervical arachnoid cyst presenting with traumatic quadriplegia. Childs Nerv Syst 20(10):757-760

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. McCrum C, Williams B (1982) Spinal extradural arachnoid pouches. Report of two cases. J Neurosurg 57(6):849–852

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Palmer JJ (1974) Spinal arachnoid cysts. Report of six cases. J Neurosurg 41(6):728–735

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Herskowitz J, Bielawski MA, Venna N, Sabin TD (1978) Anterior cervical arachnoid cyst simulating syringomyelia: a case with preceding posterior arachnoid cysts. Arch Neurol 35(1):57–58

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Chan RC, Thompson GB, Bratty PJ (1985) Symptomatic anterior spinal arachnoid diverticulum. Neurosurgery 16(5):663–665

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Rabb CH, McComb JG, Raffel C, Kennedy JG (1992) Spinal arachnoid cysts in the pediatric age group: an association with neural tube defects. J Neurosurg 77(3):369–372

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Chen HJ, Chen L (1996) Traumatic interdural arachnoid cyst in the upper cervical spine. Case report. J Neurosurg 85(2):351–353

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Jean WC, Keene CD, Haines SJ (1998) Cervical arachnoid cysts after craniocervical decompression for Chiari II malformations: report of three cases. Neurosurgery 43(4):941–944 discussion 4–5

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Lee HJ, Cho DY (2001) Symptomatic spinal intradural arachnoid cysts in the pediatric age group: description of three new cases and review of the literature. Pediatr Neurosurg 35(4):181–187

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Takahashi S, Morikawa S, Egawa M, Saruhashi Y, Matsusue Y (2003) Magnetic resonance imaging-guided percutaneous fenestration of a cervical intradural cyst. Case report. J Neurosurg 99(3 Suppl):313–315

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Maiuri F, Iaconetta G, Esposito M (2006) Neurological picture. Recurrent episodes of sudden tetraplegia caused by an anterior cervical arachnoid cyst. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 77(10):1185–1186

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  13. Gezici AR, Ergun R (2008) Cervical anterior intradural arachnoid cyst in a child. Acta Neurochir (Wien) 150(7):695–698 discussion 8

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Muhammedrezai S, Ulu MO, Tanriover N, Moghaddam AM, Akar Z (2008) Cervical intradural ventral arachnoid cyst resected via anterior corpectomy with reconstruction: a case report. Turk Neurosurg 18(3):241–244

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Fountas KN, Kapsalaki EZ, Nikolakakos LG, Smisson HF, Johnston KW, Grigorian AA et al (2007) Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion associated complications. Spine 32(21):2310–2317

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Conflict of interest

The authors have no conflict of interest to disclose.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Service de neurochirurgie A, Hôpital Pellegrin, CHU Bordeaux, Place Amélie Raba-Léon, 33076, Bordeaux, France

    Julien Engelhardt & Jean-Rodolphe Vignes

  2. University of Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France

    Jean-Rodolphe Vignes

Authors
  1. Julien Engelhardt
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Jean-Rodolphe Vignes
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Julien Engelhardt.

Electronic supplementary material

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

Supplementary material 1 (AVI 14834 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Engelhardt, J., Vignes, JR. Anterior cervical intradural arachnoid cyst, a rare cause of spinal cord compression: a case report with video systematic literature review. Eur Spine J 25 (Suppl 1), 19–26 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00586-015-4026-7

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00586-015-4026-7

Keywords

Search

Navigation