Solitary Symptomatic Spinal Extradural Arachnoid Cyst Needing Surgical Treatment: A Series of Three Cases

Extradural arachnoid cysts are rare lesions which may produce symptoms by compressing the spinal cord or nerve roots. Surgery is the treatment of choice in such lesions but asymptomatic patients can be managed conservatively. We present three cases of symptomatic extradural arachnoid cysts managed at our institute. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) done in all cases showed an extradural arachnoid cyst at Dorsal (2 cases) and cervical (1 case) level. All patients were operated with successful result. The pathophysiology, symptomatology, investigations and treatment options of this rare condition are described in relation to our cases. Key messages: Extradural arachnoid cysts are rare lesions which may produce symptoms by compressing the spinal cord or nerve roots. Surgery is the treatment of choice in such lesions but asymptomatic patients can be managed conservatively. Symptomatic patients have good results with surgical excision of the cyst.