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Colloid Cysts of the Third Ventricle

1980; Japan Neurological Society; Volume: 20; Issue: 10 Linguagem: Inglês

10.2176/nmc.20.1029

1349-8029

Toshiki Yoshimine, Kazumi Yamamoto, Toshiteru Ohnishi, Tōru Hayakawa, Kiyoo KAMIKAWA, Motoomi Okawa,

Glioma Diagnosis and Treatment

The colloid cyst of the third ventricle is a rare and unique tumor located in the anterior part of the third ventricle, just below the foramen of Monro. Since the lesion presents a great variety of signs and symptoms, the diagnosis is notoriously difficult if ventriculography or computed tomography is not performed. In the present article, one case is reported and 350 cases in previous publications are reviewed. A 45-year-old male developed a transient loss of consciousness followed by nausea and vomiting. He had two similar episodes in the previous 15 years. Computed tomography disclosed marked enlargement of lateral ventricles and a small round lesion in the anterior third ventricle. The cystic tumor, 9mm in diameter, was successfully removed by the trans-lateral ventricular approach with microsurgical techniques. A review of previous cases showed diverse clinical manifestations of the cyst. The signs and symptoms were classified into the following groups. (1) Due to moderate and/or intermittent disturbance of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) flow: headache(82%), nausea and vomiting(53%). (2) Due to sudden, severe obstruction of the CSF pathway: acute deterioration, often fatal(19%). (3) Due to chronic, mild disturbance of CSF flow: progressive dementia(16%), disturbance of gait(15%) and urinary incontinence (9 %). (4) Miscellaneous: false localizing signs etc. The “classical story” of the cyst, which is characterized by intermittent attacks of headache related to abrupt movements of the head, was noted only on a few occasions(7%). The diagnosis is readily made by computed tomography. Good results can be expected in surgical cases.