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Arachnoid Cyst

  • Reference work entry
  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Clinical Neuropsychology

  • 19 Accesses

Synonyms

Temporal lobe agenesis

Short Description or Definition

Arachnoid cysts are benign intracranial space occupying lesions. An arachnoid membrane surrounds a collection of clear fluid, identical to cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Arachnoid cysts present due to mass effect, sudden hemorrhage, or incidentally.

Categorization

Arachnoid cysts are classified according to their location as intracranial or spinal. Intracranial arachnoid cysts can be further subclassified (Table 1). Middle fossa cysts (MFAC) can also be classified according to their size and distortion of surrounding structures based on Galassi classification (Galassi et al. 1982). Type I cysts are small, biconvex, and have no mass effect (Fig. 1a); type II cysts have a rectangular shape and involve proximal and intermediate segments of the Sylvian fissure (Fig. 1b); type III cysts entirely involve the Sylvian fissure and can produce midline shift (Fig. 1c). Arachnoid cysts may also be classified as primary congenital or...

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References and Readings

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Anna Meyer Children’s Hospital, Florence, Italy

    Barbara Spacca

  2. The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust, Liverpool, UK

    Andrew Brodbelt

Authors
  1. Barbara Spacca
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  2. Andrew Brodbelt
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Correspondence to Andrew Brodbelt .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA

    Jeffrey S. Kreutzer

  2. Kessler Foundation, Pleasant Valley Way, West Orange, NJ, USA

    John DeLuca

  3. Independent Practice, Wynnewood, PA, USA

    Bruce Caplan

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Spacca, B., Brodbelt, A. (2018). Arachnoid Cyst. In: Kreutzer, J.S., DeLuca, J., Caplan, B. (eds) Encyclopedia of Clinical Neuropsychology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-57111-9_539

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