[The microsurgery of colloid cysts of the third ventricle]

Colloid cysts are rarely met with intraventricular pathology (0.2 to 2% of all intracranial tumors) with predilection development in the anterosuperior sections of the third ventricle. They occur in all age groups, but most frequently in the 3rd to 5th decade of life, and are characterized by running a nonspecific clinical course with chronic complaints of many years. They are considered as insidious conditions, since 10 to 30 per cent of cases may have an acute onset with fatal outcome within a few hours. This is a report on experience had with microsurgical approach to twelve patients presenting colloid cysts (7 women and 5 men aged 21 to 58 years). The clinical picture, early symptoms and clinical course in the series being examined are analyzed. Seven patients are operated by fronto-transcortical, and five--through anterior transcallosal access. In all instances total removal of the cyst and its content is achieved. No lethal outcome in the early and late postoperative period is recorded. Postoperative complications and the results of long-term follow-up study are comprehensively analyzed. There is no clinical evidence of relapses.