PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Alokayli, Shirin H.
AU  - Maghrabi, Sarah A.
AU  - Almotairi, Fawaz S.
AU  - Elwatidy, Sherif M.
TI  - Unusual association of cervical arachnoid cyst and idiopathic intracranial hypertension
AID  - 10.17712/nsj.2024.4.20240005
DP  - 2024 Oct 01
TA  - Neurosciences Journal
PG  - 284--287
VI  - 29
IP  - 4
4099  - http://nsj.org.sa/content/29/4/284.short
4100  - http://nsj.org.sa/content/29/4/284.full
SO  - Neurosciences (Riyadh)2024 Oct 01; 29
AB  - Arachnoid cysts (ACs) are more commonly seen intracranially rather than intraspinally, with most being asymptomatic. This case report presents a rare association between symptomatic AC and idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH). In a 71-year-old man who exhibited long-standing bilateral shoulder pain and severe left brachialgia despite an unremarkable physical examination. Radiologic investigations revealed a left C5–6 cervical arachnoid cyst, and during treatment, the patient was diagnosed with IIH. Surgical excision of the cyst failed, so the patient was treated with a lumbar puncture (LP) shunt that required several revisions. During these revisions, IIH was diagnosed, leading to the insertion of a ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt, which improved the symptoms. Early diagnosis of IIH through lumbar puncture in cases of spinal arachnoid cysts allows for earlier treatment with cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) diversion via a VP shunt, reducing repeated hospital admissions and surgical interventions.