HISTOPATHOLOGICAL SPECTRUM OF INTRACRANIAL NON-NEOPLASTIC CYSTS- STUDY IN A TERTIARY HOSPITAL

BACKGROUND Cysts of the Central Nervous System (CNS) are usually benign. Often, these cysts are discovered incidentally during routine radiological examination or at autopsy. They become symptomatic either because of pressure, rupture or secondary inflammation. The aim of the study is to1. Assess the nature and frequency of various non-neoplastic cystic lesions in relation to the age and sex distribution. 2. Study the various histological patterns. MATERIALS AND METHODS Period of study was from January 2010 to July 2015. A total of 50 cases were studied. The specimens were fixed in 10% formalin, routine tissue processing was done with paraffin-embedded sections and H and E staining was done. RESULTS In the present study, a total of 50 cysts of the central nervous system were diagnosed. Epidermoid cysts formed the major group among all the cysts with a frequency of 34% followed by colloid cysts (32%), arachnoid cysts (20%), dermoid cysts (6%) Rathke’s cleft cyst (4%), glioependymal cyst and hydatid cyst (2%) each. CONCLUSION Epidermoid cysts were the most common non-neoplastic cysts, which showed male preponderance. Second most common were the colloid cysts, which showed slight female preponderance. Arachnoid cysts showed equal sex predilection