Congenital brain cysts in infancy: Diagnosis, treatment, and follow‐up

Eleven cases of congenital brain cysts—two encephaloclastic intracerebral, five noncommunicating pia‐arachnoid, and four either communicating pia‐arachnoid or intracranial meningoencephalocele congenital type cysts—were diagnosed in infancy based on suspicious cephalomegaly, skull asymmetry, and abnormal transillumination. Complete diagnosis differentiated primary congenital cysts from trauma and infection, both of which complicate congenital cysts as well as being etiologic for brain cyst formation. Early diagnosis coupled with surgical exploration and cerebrospinal fluid shunting have allowed seven to live in a functional, socially acceptable way to the age of 11/2 to 121/2 years. Two of the remaining four are now dead, and two are severely retarded. Retardation was due to congenital malformation and a shunt obstruction. Death resulted from infectious epiglottis and cardiac arrest during cystostomy.