The cyst of the brain is a three-dimensional structure of a spherical shape, which is filled with a fluid that replaces the affected tissue. In newborns, it is a very common diagnosis than it might seem at first glance. Every third child, as a rule, is born with this pathology. Sometimes the size of the formation is so small that the baby may not even show any concern. Over time, the cyst can completely dissolve.
Causes of the appearance in newborns
A brain cyst in a newborn can occur due to a number of reasons. The factors of its appearance, as well as the causes of most diseases of the nervous system, have not yet been fully studied. The main factors include cystic education include the following factors:
- Getting injured during childbirth.
- Getting injured in the process of life.
- Acquisition of trauma as a result of intranatal infection, when the trauma is transmitted from mother to child. In this case, herpes virus often leads to the formation of cysts.
- The presence of congenital anomalies and pathologies of the central nervous system.
- The appearance of circulatory disorders of the brain.
- The presence of infections of the nervous system that were transmitted by the child, for example, meningitis or encephalitis.
- Brain hemorrhage.
Types of pathology
Depending on the location, structure, and, in addition, the causes of the appearance of a brain cyst, they are classified as follows:
Directly at the time of occurrence, this ailment can take two forms:
- Congenital form, which occurs as a result of abnormalities in the development of the nervous system in the fetus.
- Acquired form when brain injuries or infection.
The types and causes of cysts in a newborn are of interest to many.
The localization classification is as follows:
- Subependymal type of cyst. This type is said to be when the cyst is cerebral, located inside the brain. This is the most dangerous brain cyst that can be found in children in the first year of life. It is formed due to oxygen starvation of brain cells or as a result of their death. Without timely treatment, such a pathology can lead to irreversible disturbance on the part of the nervous system. The consequences in this case are a violation of the vital functions of the body along with disability or death of the baby.
- The arachnoid type of cyst is a formation on the arachnoid membrane of the brain. Such a cyst is able to localize in any brain region, while violating its hematodynamics. It is less dangerous than the previous one, but also requires special attention of surgeons. Its consequences are mainly more favorable for life, but the lack of therapy can lead to a lag of the child in terms of psychomotor development.
According to the structure of the cysts are divided according to the following classification:
- Colloidal type of education. Such a cyst is laid back in the period of intrauterine development. As long as the cyst is not large, it does not cause any symptoms. With ultrasound diagnosis of the fetus, the cyst can be easily seen. With the growth of the body, the cyst also increases. Its main symptom is severe hydrocephalus. This type of disease requires surgical therapy in a neurosurgical hospital.
- The dermoid type of cyst is formed against the background of fetal embryogenesis, which occurs from undifferentiated cells of the leaves of the skin and hair follicles. Such formations do not dissolve on their own, requiring surgical treatment.
- The epidermoid type consists of squamous epithelium and keratinized cell elements. Such a cyst is considered the most benign of all that are found in infants, but it also requires surgical intervention.
- Pineal type of cyst. Against the background of this formation, hydrocephalus develops rapidly. Children, if present, are exposed to inflammatory diseases of the nervous system.
- Vascular plexus cyst. Such a pathology is usually small in size and does not cause any symptoms of the disease. She also does not bear the consequences of a health threat, because she is formed in the fetus in the womb and resolves immediately after birth, without requiring surgical intervention.
Symptoms of pathology
Symptomatically, a brain cyst in a newborn can manifest itself in different ways, which directly depends on the type of formation, the duration of its appearance, the duration of the process, volume and localization.
Common symptoms of the presence of large formations are expressed in the rejection of the breast. Such children can eat poorly and spew heavily after eating. At the same time, the child will be lethargic and lethargic, slowly developing, screaming and capricious without any reason. Symptoms of a brain cyst can be difficult to recognize.
In these children, coordination is disturbed, they may respond poorly to toys, which will indicate a decrease in vision. There may also be no reaction to sounds, while they will not have otolaryngological pathologies. Such children, as a rule, are significantly behind in psychomotor development, gaining weight poorly.
Over time, if the cyst of the brain in the newborn is not treated in any way (this is especially true for the dermoid and arachnoid cyst), the skull may begin to deform in children. Against this background, the size of the brain will significantly prevail over the facial.
As for the subependimal vascular cyst of the brain, it carries its own characteristics. Such a cyst often affects the motor structure of the brain, causing convulsions along with involuntary twitching, paresis and paralysis. As the cyst grows, the child will experience an increase in intracranial pressure, and convulsive attacks, in turn, will become more frequent. Sometimes hemorrhagic stroke may occur in such children. Very often, a vascular cyst of the brain in a child presses on other brain structures, which causes variability in the clinical picture.
Multicystic disease in children
Multicystic encephalomalacia is a serious pathology that affects brain tissue at a very young age. This disease is expressed in the appearance of multiple cavity structures of different sizes in white matter, which is characterized by an extremely severe course with a disappointing prognosis.
The most vulnerable period when multicystosis of the brain develops most often is considered to be the stage from the twenty-eighth gestational week to the first few days after birth. The main factors causing the development of a plurality of foci of necrosis are considered to be the following reasons:
- The appearance of herpetic infection and cytomegalovirus.
- The presence of rubella virus or toxoplasma.
- The effect of enterobacteria or Staphylococcus aureus.
- Intrauterine asphyxia along with birth trauma.
- The development of sinus thrombosis.
- The presence of vascular malformations, as well as sepsis.
In the event that a brain cyst is diagnosed, then the following complications are likely in a child:
- The appearance of severe physical and mental underdevelopment, in which the child will be unable to walk or talk.
- The development of epileptic encephalopathy, which will be expressed in multiple seizures of epilepsy.
The forecast in this case will be extremely difficult.
Pseudocystic structures
Doctors still have not yet revealed how exactly the pseudocyst in the brain of a newborn differs from other similar formations. Often, experts refer to the presence or absence of the epithelium that lines the cavity, but such a judgment has not yet been confirmed. But what about a pseudo-cyst, and can it be considered a dangerous anomaly for a child? There are a number of criteria by which specialists distinguish precisely pseudo-formation:
- The presence of false abdominal structures, which are localized in the area of the bodies of the lateral ventricles of the brain.
- The absence of hemorrhage in the cavity of the capsule, which is filled with a clear liquid.
- The reason for the appearance of a false formation is not determined by genetic abnormalities, that is, they speak of acquired pathology.
Ninety-five babies out of a hundred who have ventricular pseudo-formation do not have any developmental disorders. The subependymal pseudocyst localized in the tissues is considered dangerous. It can occur against the background of intrauterine disorders and includes hemorrhages along with tissue hypoxia, during which the lateral ventricles are damaged. Ischemia may also occur, leading to necrosis of cells in certain areas.
The threat in particular arises if the false structure begins to grow, and the diseases in which it formed, cause serious damage. In this situation, its removal will be required along with the treatment of ischemia and other possible complications of birth injury.
In the event that during the first year of a child’s life pseudo-formation does not resolve, regular ultrasound examination will be required along with a visit to a neurologist to monitor growth dynamics. In addition, you will need to follow the indicators of intracranial pressure and all kinds of deviations in the behavior of the baby. Among such deviations can be noted the inability of the child to concentrate, his excessive tearfulness, and so on. A very good indicator for ultrasound will be a decrease in the anomaly.
Pathology diagnostics
In the process of diagnosing brain cysts in a newborn, they have a number of features. The fact is that in infants a large fontanel is not yet closed. He usually closes only by the year. In this regard, the newborn, first of all, conduct an ultrasound examination of the brain. An experienced specialist in the framework of such a study can determine the presence, size and localization of education.
For a more accurate diagnosis, computed tomography of the brain is performed. A feature of this procedure for babies up to five years is that it is carried out under anesthesia, which increases the risk of complications.
The introduction of children into anesthesia for magnetic resonance imaging as part of the diagnosis of cystic education is necessary due to the fact that newborns are constantly moving, which makes it impossible to perform the study. The type of anesthesia is selected individually, but the most common drug for introducing the child into medical sleep is Tiopental. Such diagnostics are required to be carried out in dynamics once every four months or unscheduled according to indications. This method also helps to differentiate the pseudocyst.
Which children need to be examined for the presence of a brain cyst?
Such an examination is necessary in a number of the following cases:
- At risk are, first of all, children whose mothers during pregnancy for the first time became infected with herpes.
- In the event that a woman's pregnancy proceeded with complications in the form of oligohydramnios, a large fetus, and other abnormalities of the fetus.
- Children with birth injuries.
What is the treatment for brain cyst?
Pathology treatment
The formation of cysts in the brain is not a sentence for a child. Everything directly depends on the localization of education and its type. Treatment, as a rule, is divided into conservative, that is, medication and surgical. In the event that the cystic formation does not grow in size and new neurological symptoms occur, then conservative treatment is prescribed.
Children are prescribed drugs whose action is aimed at improving the rheological properties of the blood and normalizing general hemodynamics. Immunomodulators are often prescribed, especially in cases where the disease is caused by an infection. We must not forget about the therapy of the pathogen itself, for this antibiotics are used along with antiviral and antifungal drugs. Pseudocysts also lend themselves to a conservative treatment technique.
Subependymal cysts, as a rule, dissolve over time, after them a small commissure can be seen on an MRI image. The situation is somewhat worse with the dermoid and arachnoid type of formation. They require a special approach to treatment. As a child grows up, a cyst also grows, which squeezes the surrounding tissue. In this case, a neurosurgical operation is required.
Removal of brain cysts is carried out using palliative and radical techniques. Most often, preference is given to the first. Palliative therapy consists in bypassing the cavity of the formation or removing it through the endoscopic method. When bypassing, a drainage is introduced into the cyst, along which it must be emptied. At the same time, the shunt is in the cavity for some time, which opens an additional gate for infection. Another drawback is that the cyst itself after this still remains, which means it can fill up again.
Endoscopic technique is less dangerous in terms of complications. A neurosurgeon enters the child’s brain using an endoscope. A hole is made in the cyst, which is sanitized. This procedure should be performed by an experienced specialist, since there is a great risk of damage to nearby brain structures.
A radical technique for the treatment of cerebrovascular plexus cysts is extremely rare. Most often it is carried out with dermoid formations. This method primarily involves opening the box of the skull and subsequent removal of the cyst. But this is a huge risk, and there is a great danger of provoking a skull defect. It is also very difficult to predict how the trepan window will close. At the site of the surgical plate, regeneration processes may subsequently be impaired.
What is the forecast?
Parents should keep in mind that successful treatment of congenital or acquired forms of education requires early diagnosis, which should include:
- Carrying out neurosonography.
- Performing Doppler Encephalography.
- Carrying out positron and emission, and, in addition, magnetic resonance imaging.
- Performing cerebral scintigraphy.
With small volumes and timely treatment, the prognosis for life is favorable. But in cases where the cyst is large, and surgical treatment for some reason is impossible or was not done in a timely manner, the consequences may be irreparable. Such children can lag behind in physical, psychomotor, and eventually with sexual development. They, unlike others, significantly suffer from vision and hearing. Very often they are disabled.
Adult brain cyst
A cyst in the head is a bubble-shaped capsule with liquid contents in the tissues of the brain. It can be located in any part of the brain, but most often it can be found in the cobweb-like covering of the cerebral cortex.
A cyst is born due to injuries, diseases, other influences that contribute to the formation of areas with dead cells. Between the temporal and parietal lobes there is fluid. When abnormal zones appear, this fluid replaces dead tissue. Then its volume increases and a cavity forms, which turns into a cyst.
The pineal cyst of the brain is a cavity filled with liquid contents located in the area of the pineal gland of the midbrain. The frequency of its detection is very small, and there are no symptoms.
The pineal cyst of the brain rarely causes hormonal status malfunctions. Also, it does not lead to compression of the surrounding nerve structures. It does not turn into a tumor.
The retrocerebellar cyst of the brain is referred to as benign tumors. This is also a bubble with liquid. It can occur in any part of the brain where gray matter necrosis develops.
Can be found:
- Retrocerebellar arachnoid cyst. In this case, neoplasms occur between the shells of the brain. They are filled with cerebrospinal fluid.
- Retrocerebellar cerebrospinal fluid cyst. It develops due to a head injury, hemorrhage, inflammatory processes in the brain, after surgical operations.
It causes the following symptoms:
- visual and hearing acuity decreases;
- severe headache occurs;
- cramps
- there may be sudden loss of consciousness;
- numbness of the limbs;
- ripple in the head.