Detection of the development of late-onset idiopathic aqueductal stenosis (LIAS) by chronological magnetic resonance imaging: a case report

Abstract

Late-onset idiopathic aqueductal stenosis (LIAS) has been recognized as one of the clinical entities of adulthood hydrocephalus for decades, although there have been no radiological reports that show normal ventricular systems before the development of LIAS. We present here an adolescent case of LIAS with a previously normal ventricular system on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). A 17-year-old boy had been suffering from chronic headaches and mild intellectual disability (MID) since he became a teenager, and this had prevented him from leading an ordinary school life. MRIs on admission showed triventriculomegaly from the aqueductal stenosis that had not been detected on previous MRIs, at least until the age of 6. An endoscopic third ventriculostomy was successfully performed, which improved both the headache and the MID. The developmental mechanism of LIAS remains unclear, although the membranous ependymal-like tissue observed in the aqueduct suggested the preceding existence of an inflammatory process around this region. To the best of our knowledge, this case was noteworthy because the development of LIAS was clearly demonstrated on MRI for the first time.