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Arachnoid cysts DRAFT

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Overview

These are congenital or acquired cysts filled with CSF found in the brain or spine that are commonly incidental and asymptomatic. They are most commonly seen in the middle cranial fossa. Surgical intervention is only required if these are symptomatic, i.e. they cause seizures, weakness, hydrocephalus or cognitive impairment. This is rare. When these are found in the spinal canal, they can cause signs and symptoms of myelopathy.

If there is uncertainty on CT imaging, an MRI is gold-standard for diagnosing an arachnoid cyst.

If the patient is asymptomatic from an arachnoid cyst, these can be referred routinely through for our review. It is likely no intervention or follow-up will be required.

If you are concerned your patient is symptomatic from a cranial arachnoid cyst please refer your patient urgently via the platform. We may either need to see them during the on-call or can re-direct you to the appropriate MDT.

If you are concerned your patient is symptomatic from a spinal arachnoid cyst, or an MRI report mentions associated cord signal change, please refer them to the neurospine MDT by emailing the required form to neurospinemdt@nbt.nhs.uk



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