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Central Nervous System Cysts
Definition
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Benign developmental thin-walled cysts defined by type of epithelium and location
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Examples: epidermoid, dermoid, colloid, arachnoid, endodermal, and ependymal
Clinical Features
Epidemiology
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Constitute about 1% of intracranial masses
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Affect all ages
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No gender predominance
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Believed to result from developmental “entrapment”; rarely acquired
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Epidermoid and dermoid cysts may arise by inclusion of ectoderm into surrounding tissue
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Colloid cysts derived from endodermal epithelium in the rostral dorsal third ventricle
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Arachnoid cysts believed to arise as developmental abnormality or secondary to leptomeningitis or trauma
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Endodermal (“neurenteric,” “respiratory epithelial”) cysts arise from entrapped endoderm of respiratory or gastrointestinal tract
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Ependymal (glioependymal) cysts believed to arise from entrapped neural tube
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Pineal and choroid plexus cysts are most often incidental findings
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