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Case Reports
. 2022 Aug 5;17(10):3739-3744.
doi: 10.1016/j.radcr.2022.07.055. eCollection 2022 Oct.

Pineal cyst apoplexy and memory loss: a novel complication

Areez Shafqat  1 , Hanin Jaber AlGethami  2 , Shameel Shafqat  3 , Syed Shafqat Ul Islam  4
Affiliations
Case Reports

Pineal cyst apoplexy and memory loss: a novel complication

Areez Shafqat et al. Radiol Case Rep. .

Abstract

An 8-year-old boy presented to our hospital complaining of a bilateral headache associated with episodes of anterograde amnesia. He had a road traffic accident 3 years ago when a computed tomography (CT) scan revealed traumatic brain injury. In addition, a small pineal cyst (PC) was noted with minor intramural calcifications. A follow-up CT a day later demonstrated increased density in the pineal gland of 60 Hounsfield Units, suggestive of apoplectic changes in the PC. However, the patient was lost to follow-up and presented with memory loss a year and a half later, upon which CT and magnetic resonance imaging revealed enlargement of the PC. PC apoplexy is a very rare occurrence usually affecting young adult women; cases in children are rarely reported. Furthermore, PC apoplexy secondary to severe craniofacial trauma manifesting as memory loss has not yet been reported in the literature to the best of our knowledge.

Keywords: AD, Alzheimer's disease; Abdominal imaging; Aβ, Amyloid β; CT, Computed tomography; HU, Hounsfield units; Inflammatory bowel disease; MRI, Magnetic resonance imaging; PC, Pineal cyst; Retroperitoneal mass; Retroperitoneal surgery; Varicosity.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
(A) Axial CT reconstruction demonstrating right parietal subdural hematoma, intraventricular hemorrhage, right subgaleal hematoma. (B) A small Pineal cyst with small mural calcification noted (arrow).
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Follow-up CT 24 hours after admission revealing hyperdense signals in the region of the pineal gland, indicating apoplexy (arrow).
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Follow-up CT after 3 years showing enlargement of the pineal cyst with bilateral mural calcifications (arrow).
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
(A). Axial T1 image showing low intensity cyst in the pineal region (arrow). (B) Axial T2-weighted image showing a pineal cyst with hyperintense signal intensity (arrow). (C) Axial FLAIR sequence indicating a slightly hyperintense cyst in the pineal gland (arrow). (D) Coronal T2-weighted image revealing a signal cyst in the pineal gland (arrow).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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