A Rare Case of Spinal Extradural Arachnoid Cyst with Cord Compression

Spinal extradural arachnoid cysts are rare lesions which typically involve the thoracic spine and are an asymptomatic condition of unknown origin. They may also produce symptoms by compressing the spinal cord or nerve roots. Surgery is the treatment of choice in such lesions, but asymptomatic patients can be managed conservatively. We present a case of symptomatic, probable traumatic origin, spinal arachnoid cyst at our center in Hospital Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Magnetic resonance imaging spine showed well-defined, nonenhancing extradural cystic lesion from T5 to T6 vertebrae level compressing spinal cord anteriorly. The patient underwent T5, T6 laminoplasty, T4 partial laminectomy and excision of the cyst. Histologically, the cyst wall comprised of collagen and meningothelial cells. This surgical intervention achieved neurological improvement in terms of motor power in our follow-up of this patient.