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Reversible CSF cyst related to a functioning ventriculo-peritoneal shunt.
1Department of Neurosurgery, Wessex Neurological Centre, Southampton General Hospital, UK.
Acta Neurochirurgica
|July 30, 2005
Summary
A rare cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cyst developed in a patient with a functioning ventriculoperitoneal shunt, potentially due to prior radiation therapy for meningioma. The cyst resolved after surgical intervention and shunt adjustment.
Area of Science:
- Neurosurgery
- Radiation Oncology
- Neuropathology
Background:
- Ventriculoperitoneal shunts are used to treat hydrocephalus by draining cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).
- Distal end obstruction of shunts is a known cause of CSF-related complications.
- CSF cyst formation with a functioning shunt is uncommon.
Observation:
- A 51-year-old female presented with a gradually progressing CSF cyst over two years.
- The patient had a history of radiation therapy for extensive supra- and infratentorial meningioma.
- No clinical or radiological signs of shunt obstruction were evident.
Findings:
- A rare CSF cyst developed despite a well-functioning ventriculoperitoneal shunt.
- Surgical intervention involving cyst puncture and new catheter insertion led to cyst resolution.
- The cyst's onset and progression correlated with the timeline after radiation therapy.
Implications:
- Radiation therapy may induce changes leading to CSF cyst formation, even with a functional shunt.
- This case highlights a potential, previously undescribed complication of radiation therapy in neurosurgical patients.
- Further research is needed to elucidate the mechanisms of radiation-induced CSF cystogenesis.