Abstract:

Aim: More than half of arachnoid cysts are located in the middle fossa. There is no consensus in the literature on the timing and type of treatment. We aimed to contribute to the treatment of these patients by presenting the results of patients who underwent shunt surgery in middle cranial fossa arachnoid cysts in our clinic. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 6 patients who underwent cystoperitoneal shunt surgery for type 3 arachnoid cysts in the middle cranial fossa between 2015 and 2021 in our clinic. The clinical and radiological conditions of all patients before and after the operation were examined and noted. Patients who had postoperative 1st year clinical and radiological controls were included. Results: The arachnoid cyst location of all patients was cranial middle fossa and all patients were treated with cystoperitoneal shunt. The complaint or finding detected in all patients under 2 years of age was fontonal tension and decrease in movement and reactions, while severe headache over 2 years of age. The arachnoid cysts of all patients were type 3 in classification and there were compression findings in radiological examinations. Postoperative symptoms and complaints of all patients decreased. Clinical findings suggestive of slit cyst syndrome occurred in one patient. Except for this patient, no complications were observed during the control period in any of the patients. Conclusion: Our study supports the view that cystoperitoneal shunt surgery is an effective and safe treatment method that can also be applied as the first treatment method in pediatric middle cranial fossa type 3 arachnoid cysts.

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