Mesencephalic enlarged Virchow-Robin spaces in a 6-year-old boy: a case-based update

Background Perivascular spaces or Virchow-Robin spaces are normal anatomical structures within the brain, typically less than 5 mm in diameter. Rarely, they can reach much larger sizes and adopt bizarre single or multi-cystic configurations, as was the case in the patient that we report on. When the...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Child's nervous system 2010-09, Vol.26 (9), p.1155-1160
Main Authors: Fayeye, Oluwafikayo, Pettorini, Benedetta Ludovica, Foster, Katharine, Rodrigues, Desiderio
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Brain Diseases - pathology
Brain Diseases - therapy
Case-Based Update
Child
Cysts - complications
Cysts - pathology
Cysts - therapy
Dilatation, Pathologic - complications
Dilatation, Pathologic - pathology
Dilatation, Pathologic - therapy
Endoscopic fenestration
Giant perivascular space enlargement
Humans
Hydrocephalus - etiology
Hydrocephalus - pathology
Hydrocephalus - therapy
Intraventricular cyst
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Male
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Mesencephalon
Mesencephalon - blood supply
Mesencephalon - pathology
Neuroendoscopy
Neurosciences
Neurosurgery
Subarachnoid Space - pathology
Treatment Outcome
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Background Perivascular spaces or Virchow-Robin spaces are normal anatomical structures within the brain, typically less than 5 mm in diameter. Rarely, they can reach much larger sizes and adopt bizarre single or multi-cystic configurations, as was the case in the patient that we report on. When there is such markedly gross dilatation, the phenomenon is known as Giant or tumefactive perivascular space enlargement. Case report We report a 6-year-old boy with a multi-cystic mesencephalic lesions presenting with obstructive hydrocephalus secondary to obstruction of the aqueduct of Sylvius due to tumefactive dilatation of Virchow-Robin spaces. The patient underwent an endoscopic fenestration and biopsy of the cystic portion abutting into the ventricular system. Conclusion In this paper, we discuss the phenomenon of perivascular (Virchow-Robin) spaces and their treatment options and review the relevant literature. To our knowledge, this is the first pediatric case of tumefactive dilatation of the Virchow-Robin spaces causing obstructive hydrocephalus that were directly fenestrated using neuroendoscopy.
ISSN:0256-7040
1433-0350
DOI:10.1007/s00381-010-1164-4