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Arachnoid cysts are malformed lesions that contain a fluid similar to the cerebrospinal fluid, and are usually located within the arachnoidal membrane. They represent 1% of all intracranial lesions, and in recent years, with the development of radiological techniques, the clinical detectability of arachnoid cysts seems to have increased. Although the majority of diagnosed arachnoid cysts are located in the cranial cavity and especially in the Sylvian fissure, a small number are located at spinal level and they can occur extra- or intra-spinally. An analysis is carried out, detailing the various tests used for the diagnosis of both intracranial and spinal arachnoids cysts, analysing the indications of each one depending on the location of the cysts and patient age., (Copyright © 2015 Sociedad Española de Neurocirugía. Published by Elsevier España. All rights reserved.)

Intracranial arachnoid cysts are fluid-filled cavities that arise within the cranial arachnoid, representing approximately 1%-2% of all intracranial lesions among the paediatric population. We present the case of a 2-year-old boy who presented with instability and episodes of ocular deviation. A computed tomography scan (CT scan) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain revealed a suprasellar cyst and obstructive hydrocephalus. At birth a transfontanellar ultrasound was normal. The cyst underwent endoscopic fenestration with complete remission of symptoms. In the review of the literature, we found only 6 previous cases of an intracranial arachnoid cyst whose origin was not clearly congenital or traumatic, and ours is the second case of a suprasellar arachnoid cyst to arise de novo. The clinical features, imaging characteristics and treatment of the previously reported cases are discussed., (Copyright © 2014 Sociedad Española de Neurocirugía. Published by Elsevier España. All rights reserved.)

Arachnoid cysts are very common lesions in paediatric patients, with treatment depending on their location and symptomatology. They are usually solitary cysts but may be associated with other central nervous system diseases such as tumours and congenital deformities. We describe the case of a neonate diagnosed with an arachnoid cyst of the quadrigeminal cistern treated by endoscopy. After the operation, the child's condition worsened; a CT scan revealed a midline posterior fossa tumour not visible in the preoperative neuroradiological tests. The tumour, a medulloblastoma, was partially removed. Given the child's age and the poor prognosis, oncological treatment was not undertaken. The association between medulloblastoma and arachnoid cyst is very rare, and we could find only one such case in the literature., (Copyright © 2012 Sociedad Española de Neurocirugía. Published by Elsevier España. All rights reserved.)