Endoscopic treatment of intracranial cysts in infants: personal experience and review of literature

Background A wide variety of intracranial cysts is known to occur in infants. If symptomatic, they require treatment; the ideal surgical treatment and indications of surgery are yet a matter of discussion. Traditional treatment is either by cystoperitoneal shunting, or microsurgical fenestration. Endoscopic treatment is an alternative procedure that avoids the invasiveness of open craniotomy and the complications caused by shunting. Methods This article reviews the endoscopic treatment of intracranial cysts in infants. The author presents personal experience by reviewing the results of endoscopic treatment in different subgroups among his series of pediatric patients extending over 20 years. Results Different types of intracranial cysts in infants were discussed and the role of endoscopy in the management of these patients was reviewed. The author also presented the results of endoscopic treatment of a personal series including 87 infants with intracranial cysts operated by the endoscopic procedure. Conclusions It has been recommended to use the endoscopic procedure in the treatment of intracranial cysts in infants, because it is effective, simple, minimally invasive, and associated with low morbidity and mortality rates. However, an important prerequisite is the presence of an area of contiguity with the subarachnoid cisterns and/or the ventricular system.