Surgical management of colloid cysts in children: experience at a tertiary care center

Colloid cysts are uncommon lesions in the pediatric age group, which most commonly occur in the fourth through fifth decades. The authors hereby report a series of 36 patients with colloid cysts in the pediatric age group.

A retrospective chart review was conducted on all patients with colloid cyst who underwent surgery in our institute between November 2003 and December 2016 (13 years). Patients above the age of 18 were excluded from the study. They were analyzed based on clinical presentation, radiological findings, surgical approaches, and outcome.

There were 36 pediatric patients selected for the study. Age ranged from 8 to 18 years. The male-to-female ratio was 3.5:1. Headache and vomiting were the most common symptoms, and papilledema is the most common clinical sign. The mean duration of symptoms was 9 months (range 1 day to 5 years), but 27 (75%) of the children had precipitous symptoms just before presentation. Preoperative CT showed a hyperdense non-enhancing lesion in the majority of cases. Endoscopic excision was done in 13; 5 patients underwent transcortical transventricular excision, while transcallosal approach was opted for in 17 patients. In one patient, the colloid cyst could not be removed endoscopically and had to be converted to transcortical transventricular approach. Postoperatively, five patients developed CSF leak. They were successfully managed conservatively. One patient had operative site extra dural hematoma and underwent re-exploration, and two patients had transient hemiparesis which improved spontaneously. The median follow-up period was 9 months in the 30 available patients. Though no formal neuropsychological testing was done at follow-up, all children appeared to be doing well without memory disturbances.

Pediatric colloid cysts are less common and may show rapid deterioration. Timely surgery results in a permanent cure with minimum morbidity. The results of either micro neurosurgical or endoscopic operative excision of colloid cysts in children are excellent. All children who are symptomatic with raised intracranial pressure due to a third ventricular colloid cyst should undergo definitive surgery. There were no major permanent deficits in memory or disconnection syndromes observed with the limited anterior colostomy.