bromochloroacetic-acid and Cerebellar-Diseases

A case of epithelial cyst in the cerebellopontine angle is reported. The cyst wall showed glandular epithelium with areas of non-keratinized stratified epithelium and flattened cuboidal cells. The glandular areas stained positively with antibodies to cytokeratin. In addition, the cyst wall contained areas of arachnoid tissue. This, and the unusual position of the cyst, suggest that the epithelial elements in the cyst wall may be metaplastic in origin. Similar previously described cysts were considered to be endodermal in origin.

Topics: Adult; Arachnoid; Arachnoid Cysts; Cerebellar Diseases; Cerebellopontine Angle; Female; Humans; Keratins; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

This report describes the immunohistochemical and ultrastructural studies of a subarachnoid epithelial cyst of the cerebellum found incidentally at autopsy of a 76-year-old man. The cyst was composed of an inner epithelial layer, a middle connective tissue layer and an outer arachnoid membrane. The epithelial layer was strongly positive for cytokeratin, carcinoembryonic antigen and epithelial membrane antigen, but negative for glial fibrillary acidic protein, S-100 protein, neuron-specific enolase and vimentin. Ultrastructurally, the epithelial layer had four distinct types of cells: ciliated cells, non-ciliated cells with coated microvilli, basal cells with tonofilaments and desmosomes, and cells with dense-core secretory granules (Kulchitsky cells). The latter two types of cells have not been described previously in epithelial cysts of the CNS. The lining epithelium closely resembled the upper respiratory epithelium. The findings suggest that the cyst was of endodermal rather than neuroectodermal origin.

Topics: Aged; Carcinoembryonic Antigen; Cerebellar Diseases; Cysts; Humans; Immunohistochemistry; Keratins; Male; Membrane Glycoproteins; Mucin-1; Subarachnoid Space