Abstract
Arachnoid cysts (ACs) are considered benign developmental/acquired anomalies that occur within the arachnoid membrane and mostly contain clear and colorless fluid resembling cerebrospinal fluid. AC can be located not only intracranially (intracranial ACs) but also in the spine (spinal ACs). Optimal treatment strategy of ACs depends somewhat on location and classification. This chapter deals with the classification of temporal, suprasellar, and retroclival ACs and also functional and pathophysiological classification of cysts with other intracranial locations into the so-called communicating/noncommunicating and congenital/acquired.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Aicardi J, Bauman F. Supratentorial extracerebral cysts in infants and children. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 1975;38(1):57–68.
Al-Holou WN, Terman S, Kilburg C, Garton HJ, Muraszko KM, Maher CO. Prevalence and natural history of arachnoid cysts in adults. J Neurosurg. 2013;118(2):222–31.
Al-Holou WN, Yew AY, Boomsaad ZE, Garton HJ, Muraszko KM, Maher CO. Prevalence and natural history of arachnoid cysts in children. J Neurosurg Pediatr. 2010;5(6):578–85.
Andre A, Zerah M, Roujeau T, Brunelle F, Blauwblomme T, Puget S, et al. Suprasellar arachnoid cysts: toward a new simple classification based on prognosis and treatment modality. Neurosurgery. 2016;78(3):370–9; discussion 9–80
Anik I, Ceylan S, Koc K, Tugasaygi M, Sirin G, Gazioglu N, et al. Microsurgical and endoscopic anatomy of Liliequist’s membrane and the prepontine membranes: cadaveric study and clinical implications. Acta Neurochir. 2011;153(8):1701–11.
Catala M, Poirier J. Arachnoid cysts: histologic, embryologic and physiopathologic review. Rev Neurol (Paris). 1998;154(6–7):489–501.
Choi JU, Kim DS. Pathogenesis of arachnoid cyst: congenital or traumatic? Pediatr Neurosurg. 1998;29(5):260–6.
Choux M, Raybaud C, Pinsard N, Hassoun J, Gambarelli D. Intracranial supratentorial cysts in children excluding tumor and parasitic cysts. Childs Brain. 1978;4(1):15–32.
Cincu R, Agrawal A, Eiras J. Intracranial arachnoid cysts: current concepts and treatment alternatives. Clin Neurol Neurosurg. 2007;109(10):837–43.
Clemenceau S, Carpentier A. Intracranial arachnoid cysts. A review. Rev Neurol (Paris). 1999;155(8):604–8.
Ersahin Y, Kesikci H, Ruksen M, Aydin C, Mutluer S. Endoscopic treatment of suprasellar arachnoid cysts. Childs Nerv Syst. 2008;24(9):1013–20.
Fam MD, Woodroffe RW, Helland L, Noeller J, Dahdaleh NS, Menezes AH, et al. Spinal arachnoid cysts in adults: diagnosis and management. A single-center experience. J Neurosurg Spine. 2018;29(6):711–9.
Fortuna A, Mercuri S. Intradural spinal cysts. Acta Neurochir. 1983;68(3–4):289–314.
Fox JL, Al-Mefty O. Suprasellar arachnoid cysts: an extension of the membrane of Liliequist. Neurosurgery. 1980;7(6):615–8.
Froelich SC, Abdel Aziz KM, Cohen PD, van Loveren HR, Keller JT. Microsurgical and endoscopic anatomy of Liliequist’s membrane: a complex and variable structure of the basal cisterns. Neurosurgery. 2008;63(1 Suppl 1):ONS1-8; discussion ONS-9
Fulkerson DH, Vogel TD, Baker AA, Patel NB, Ackerman LL, Smith JL, et al. Cyst-ventricle stent as primary or salvage treatment for posterior fossa arachnoid cysts. J Neurosurg Pediatr. 2011;7(5):549–56.
Galassi E, Tognetti F, Gaist G, Fagioli L, Frank F, Frank G. CT scan and metrizamide CT cisternography in arachnoid cysts of the middle cranial fossa: classification and pathophysiological aspects. Surg Neurol. 1982;17(5):363–9.
Gandy SE, Heier LA. Clinical and magnetic resonance features of primary intracranial arachnoid cysts. Ann Neurol. 1987;21(4):342–8.
Goksu E, Kazan S. Spontaneous shrinkage of a suprasellar arachnoid cyst diagnosed with prenatal sonography and fetal magnetic resonance imaging: case report and review of the literature. Turk Neurosurg. 2015;25(4):670–3.
Goswami P, Medhi N, Sarma PK, Sarmah BJ. Case report: middle cranial fossa arachnoid cyst in association with subdural hygroma. Indian J Radiol Imaging. 2008;18(3):222–3.
Helland CA, Lund-Johansen M, Wester K. Location, sidedness, and sex distribution of intracranial arachnoid cysts in a population-based sample. J Neurosurg. 2010;113(5):934–9.
Huang Q, Wang D, Guo Y, Zhou X, Wang X, Li X. The diagnosis and neuroendoscopic treatment of noncommunicating intracranial arachnoid cysts. Surg Neurol. 2007;68(2):149–54; discussion 54
Jafrani R, Raskin JS, Kaufman A, Lam S. Intracranial arachnoid cysts: pediatric neurosurgery update. Surg Neurol Int. 2019;10:15.
Kazan S, Ozdemir O, Akyuz M, Tuncer R. Spinal intradural arachnoid cysts located anterior to the cervical spinal cord. Report of two cases and review of the literature. J Neurosurg. 1999;91(2 Suppl):211–5.
Kriss TC, Kriss VM. Symptomatic spinal intradural arachnoid cyst development after lumbar myelography. Case report and review of the literature. Spine. 1997;22(5):568–72.
Lake PA, Minckler J, Scanlan RL. Spinal epidural cyst: theories of pathogenesis. Case report. J Neurosurg. 1974;40(6):774–8.
Li L, Zhang Y, Li Y, Zhai X, Zhou Y, Liang P. The clinical classification and treatment of middle cranial fossa arachnoid cysts in children. Clin Neurol Neurosurg. 2013;115(4):411–8.
Lyu J. Possible origins of suprasellar arachnoid cysts based on anatomical considerations. World Neurosurg. 2014;82(3–4):e570–3.
Mattox A, Choi JD, Leith-Gray L, Grant GA, Adamson DC. Guidelines for the management of obstructive hydrocephalus from suprasellar-prepontine arachnoid cysts using endoscopic third ventriculocystocisternostomy. Surg Innov. 2010;17(3):206–16.
Miyajima M, Arai H, Okuda O, Hishii M, Nakanishi H, Sato K. Possible origin of suprasellar arachnoid cysts: neuroimaging and neurosurgical observations in nine cases. J Neurosurg. 2000;93(1):62–7.
Mohyeldin A, Prevedello DM, Jamshidi AO, Ditzel Filho LF, Carrau RL. Nuances in the treatment of malignant tumors of the clival and petroclival region. Int Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2014;18(Suppl 2):S157–72.
Mustansir F, Bashir S, Darbar A. Management of Arachnoid Cysts: a comprehensive review. Cureus. 2018;10(4):e2458.
Nabors MW, Pait TG, Byrd EB, Karim NO, Davis DO, Kobrine AI, et al. Updated assessment and current classification of spinal meningeal cysts. J Neurosurg. 1988;68(3):366–77.
Nath PC, Mishra SS, Deo RC, Satapathy MC. Intradural spinal arachnoid cyst: a long-term Postlaminectomy complication: a case report and review of the literature. World Neurosurg. 2016;85(367):e1–4.
Nijm GM, Sahakian AV, Swiryn S, Carr JC, Sheehan JJ, Larson AC. Comparison of self-gated cine MRI retrospective cardiac synchronization algorithms. J Magn Reson Imaging. 2008;28(3):767–72.
Okamura K, Watanabe M, Inoue N, Kanoh M, Ohno T, Mitsui Y, et al. Intraventricular arachnoid cyst--on the origin of intraventricular arachnoid cysts. No To Shinkei. 1996;48(11):1015–21.
Ozek MM, Urgun K. Neuroendoscopic management of suprasellar arachnoid cysts. World Neurosurg. 2013;79(2 Suppl):S19. e3–8
Paramore CG. Dorsal arachnoid web with spinal cord compression: variant of an arachnoid cyst? Report of two cases. J Neurosurg. 2000;93(2 Suppl):287–90.
Perret G, Green D, Keller J. Diagnosis and treatment of intradural arachnoid cysts of the thoracic spine. Radiology. 1962;79:425–9.
Pradilla G, Jallo G. Arachnoid cysts: case series and review of the literature. Neurosurg Focus. 2007;22(2):E7.
Qi J, Yang J, Wang G. A novel five-category multimodal T1-weighted and T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging-based stratification system for the selection of spinal arachnoid cyst treatment: a 15-year experience of 81 cases. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. 2014;10:499–506.
Rabb CH, McComb JG, Raffel C, Kennedy JG. Spinal arachnoid cysts in the pediatric age group: an association with neural tube defects. J Neurosurg. 1992;77(3):369–72.
Rengachary SS, Watanabe I. Ultrastructure and pathogenesis of intracranial arachnoid cysts. J Neuropathol Exp Neurol. 1981;40(1):61–83.
Rohrer DC, Burchiel KJ, Gruber DP. Intraspinal extradural meningeal cyst demonstrating ball-valve mechanism of formation. Case report. J Neurosurg. 1993;78(1):122–5.
Sarica C, Ziyal MI. Retroclival arachnoid cysts: case series, literature review, and new classification proposal. World Neurosurg. 2019;121:e898–907.
Schroeder HW, Gaab MR. Endoscopic observation of a slit-valve mechanism in a suprasellar prepontine arachnoid cyst: case report. Neurosurgery. 1997;40(1):198–200.
Starkman SP, Brown TC, Linell EA. Cerebral arachnoid cysts. J Neuropathol Exp Neurol. 1958;17(3):484–500.
Ucar T, Akyuz M, Kazan S, Tuncer R. Bilateral cerebellopontine angle arachnoid cysts: case report. Neurosurgery. 2000;47(4):966–8.
Wester K. Gender distribution and sidedness of middle fossa arachnoid cysts: a review of cases diagnosed with computed imaging. Neurosurgery. 1992;31(5):940–4.
Wester K. Peculiarities of intracranial arachnoid cysts: location, sidedness, and sex distribution in 126 consecutive patients. Neurosurgery. 1999;45(4):775–9.
Yildiz H, Erdogan C, Yalcin R, Yazici Z, Hakyemez B, Parlak M, et al. Evaluation of communication between intracranial arachnoid cysts and cisterns with phase-contrast cine MR imaging. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol. 2005;26(1):145–51.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2023 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Kazan, M.S., Özak, A. (2023). Classification of Arachnoid Cysts. In: Turgut, M., Akhaddar, A., Turgut, A.T., Hall, W.A. (eds) Arachnoid Cysts. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-22701-1_11
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-22701-1_11
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-031-22700-4
Online ISBN: 978-3-031-22701-1
eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)