Case Study: Spinal Arachnoid Cyst

Ms K, a 12 year old girl, presented to us with a history of multiple spinal surgeries. At the time she was first seen by us, she had very stiff legs and was carried into the hospital in her mother’s arms. A detailed evaluation was done which revealed an uncommon spinal disorder known as spinal arachnoid cyst. Spinal arachnoid cyst is a disorder due to accumulation of spinal fluid in the form of a cyst which enlarges and causes symptoms by compressing on the adjacent nerves and spinal cord

he decision to help her had to be a courageous one since the cyst spanned about 2/3rds the length of her spinal cord! She had already undergone two operations at another centre but the cyst had remained the same
The only option appeared to be a rather difficult one which was to operate and remove the cyst directly but involved a long surgery with plenty of risks The options were discussed with the parents who made a courageous decision to go ahead with a major surgery

We decided to offer her a surgical excision of the cyst since that gave her the best chance of a recovery. However the surgery would be a long one and involve bleeding which a child of her age and weight may not have tolerated well

Six challenging hour later and with the successful meticulous dissection and excision (removal) of the cyst, we all heaved a huge sigh of relief! Today (about 8 months after her surgery) she is able to walk independently and has gone back to attending school full time