Herniation of the cerebellar tonsils after suprasellar arachnoid cyst shunt: case report

It is known that the caudal dislocation of the cerebellar tonsils may occur associated with clinical conditions such as an intracranial mass lesion or Chiari I and II malformation. It may also be acquired after repeated lumbar punctures or lumboperitoneostomy. The occurrence of cerebellar herniation after derivation of intracranial arachnoid cyst is extremely rare, and there are only three cases reported in the medical literature. We present the case of a 9-year-old boy with precocious puberty and suprasellar arachnoid cyst who developed a symptomatic herniation of the cerebellar tonsils three years after a cystoperitoneostomy. The patient underwent a suboccipital craniectomy with duraplasty and partial tonsillectomy, showing afterwards, remission of the symptoms. We discussed the pathogenesis suggested in the literature.