Chronic Hydrocephalus and Suprasellar Arachnoid Cyst Presenting with Rhinorrhea

Abstract

Spontaneous CSF leak with rhinorrhea may be secortdary to many intracranial congenital and acquired conditions. However, no cases of chronic hydrocephalus and suprasellar arachnoid cyst presenting with rhinorrhea as the unique clinical manifestation are reported in the literature. A 29-year-old-man with four-month history of episodic rhinorrhea had a large suprasellar arachnoid cyst with chronic hydrocephalus on magnetic resonance. Endoscopic ventricular fenestration of the cyst failed to obtain remission of the CSF leak, because it was not possible to fenestrate the cyst with the almost completely obliterated suprasellar cistern. Clinical remission occurred after restoration of the CSF flow from the cyst to the cisternal spaces by a direct approach. The CSF leak in this case was secondary to the chronic compression over the dural and bone structures of the sellar region by the cyst or chronic hydrocephalus.

Key words

Arachnoid cyst - Rhinorrhea - Endoscopic fenestration - CSF fistula