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Successful resection of a huge brainstem enterogenous cyst: case report and literature review
Boyuan Huang1, Yanming Miao1, Weifeng Jia1
1Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Electric Power Hospital, Beijing, China.
Insights
Enterogenous cysts (ECs) are rare brainstem tumors. Complete surgical resection offers an effective treatment for these congenital cysts, with no recurrence observed in this pediatric case.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Pediatric Neurosurgery
- Surgical Pathology
Background:
- Enterogenous cysts (ECs) are rare congenital lesions originating from ectopic endoderm.
- While uncommon, ECs can occur within the central nervous system, posing diagnostic and therapeutic challenges.
- Brainstem involvement by ECs is exceptionally rare, particularly in pediatric patients.
Observation:
- This report details an exceedingly rare case of a brainstem enterogenous cyst in a pediatric patient.
- The patient presented with symptoms necessitating diagnosis and treatment of this central nervous system lesion.
- Histopathological analysis confirmed the characteristic cyst wall morphology of an enterogenous cyst.
Findings:
- Complete surgical resection was performed for the brainstem EC.
- The patient experienced no recurrence of the enterogenous cyst during a 6-month follow-up period.
- Preoperative diagnosis of brainstem EC remains challenging, highlighting the need for advanced imaging and clinical correlation.
Implications:
- Surgical resection is identified as an effective treatment modality for brainstem enterogenous cysts.
- Radiotherapy and chemotherapy have not demonstrated reliable therapeutic efficiency for these specific lesions.
- This case contributes to the limited literature on pediatric brainstem ECs, emphasizing surgical management and follow-up strategies.
Abstract:
Enterogenous cysts (ECs) are rare, benign, congenital ectopic endodermal cysts that only occasionally involve the central nervous system. We presented the diagnosis and treatment of an exceedingly rare case of EC located in the brainstem, which has previously been reported only seven times in pediatric patients. The patient underwent complete surgical resection and experienced no recurrence during the 6-month follow-up. Histopathological examination showed a characteristic cyst wall lined by a monolayer, pseudocompound cubic or columnar epithelium. Preoperative diagnosis of brainstem EC is still challenging. Surgical resection is an effective treatment, and radiotherapy and chemotherapy have not shown reliable therapeutic efficiency.
