Haemorrhagic pineal cysts: two clinical cases successfully treated by means of microsurgery
*Correspondencia: Dra. Alejandra Arévalo Sáez. Servicio de Neurocirugía. Hospital Universitario de La Princesa. Diego de León, 62. E-28006 Madrid.
E-mail: praimale@hotmail.com
Introduction. Pineal cysts are a relatively frequent incidental finding in imaging tests; yet, pineal apoplexy is considered to be rare and is associated to severe symptoms.
Case reports. We report the cases of a 25-year-old male and a female aged 15 years who visited the emergency department with signs and symptoms of intracranial hypertension. The existence of a pineal haemorrhage was confirmed by imaging tests. They were successfully treated by means of microsurgery.
Conclusion. In our experience, and backed by the literature, we believe that the best treatment for this infrequent pathology is the microsurgical approach. Nevertheless, we do not rule out the possibility that, sometime in the future, endoscopic techniques may play an important role in the treatment of pineal apoplexy.
Casos clínicos Varón de 25 a˜os y mujer de 15 a˜os, que acudieron a urgencias con clínica de hipertensión intracraneal; mediante pruebas de imagen se confirmó la existencia de una hemorragia pineal. Se les trató con éxito mediante microcirugía.
Conclusión En nuestra experiencia, y avalado por la bibliografía, creemos que el mejor tratamiento de esta infrecuente patología es el abordaje microquirúrgico. Sin embargo, no se excluye la posibilidad de que, en un futuro, las técnicas endoscópicas puedan tener un lugar importante en el tratamiento de la apoplejía pineal.
