Arachnoid mater

Arachnoid mater

One of three membranes that encase the brain and spinal cord. The arachnoid mater is the middle membrane.

Mentioned in: Subarachnoid Hemorrhage

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Patient discussion about Arachnoid mater.

Q. info on arachnoid cyst in the right posterior fossa

A. Posterior fossa cysts are one of the two most damaging kinds because of the structures underneath such as the cerebellum and brain stem and can cause other diseases. It can cause facial pain from pressure on the trigeminal nerve. Most people do not have any symptoms, but those that do, are prone to headaches.

You might could use this also:
http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/arachnoid_cysts/arachnoid_cysts.htm
Hope this helps.

Q. What is the treatment for an arachnoid cyst? My 15 year old son has just been diagnosed with an arachnoid cyst. What is the treatment? Is an operation necessary?

A. There has been active debate about how to treat arachnoid cysts. The need for treatment depends mostly upon the location and size of the cyst. If the cyst is small, not disturbing surrounding tissue, and not causing symptoms, some doctors will refrain from treatment. In the past, doctors placed shunts in the cyst to drain its fluid. Now with microneurosurgical techniques and endoscopic tools that allow for minimally invasive surgery, more doctors are opting to surgically remove the membranes of the cyst or open the cyst so its fluid can drain into the cerebrospinal fluid and be absorbed.

Q. Is there any problem, if an arachnoid cyst ,2cmx1.5cm size, rostral to cerebellar region left untreated? symptoms: repeated headaches, twitching of muscles, tiredness

A. An arachnoid cyst that leads to symptoms usually needs treatment. Mild symptoms as you suggested are ok to left untreated however gradual onset of new symptoms may arise such as seizures, paralysis and other complications, therefore once symptoms occur one should consider treatment.