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Clival simple bone cyst: Rare pathological entity (case report).
Jumana Abdulmohsen Fatani1, Alaa Arab2, Hisham Alkhalidi3
1Intern, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Surgical Neurology International
|December 28, 2020
Summary
This case report highlights a rare clival cystic lesion, ultimately diagnosed as a simple bone cyst. This finding emphasizes considering both simple bone cysts and arachnoid cysts in the differential diagnosis of clival cystic lesions.
Area of Science:
- Neurosurgery
- Pathology
Background:
- Clival cystic lesions are uncommon in neurosurgical practice.
- These lesions can be associated with neoplastic processes (chordoma, chondrosarcoma, plasmacytoma, metastasis) or be pure cystic types like simple bone cysts or arachnoid cysts.
- Pure cystic lesions are often asymptomatic until they reach a significant size.
Observation:
- A case report details a healthy 53-year-old male with a clival cystic lesion.
- The patient underwent successful surgical drainage and wall resection without complications.
- Intraoperative assessment suggested an arachnoid cyst, but pathology confirmed a simple bone cyst.
Findings:
- Pathological examination definitively diagnosed the clival cystic lesion as a simple bone cyst.
- This contrasts with the intraoperative suspicion of an arachnoid cyst.
Implications:
- Simple bone cysts and arachnoid cysts represent rare differential diagnoses for clival cystic lesions.
- These entities should be considered in the diagnostic workup of such cases.
- Accurate pathological diagnosis is crucial for appropriate management of clival cystic lesions.
