• Shin-Heon Lee, Yong-Sook Park, Taek-Kyun Nam, and Jeong-Taik Kwon.
• Department of Neurosurgery, College of Medicine, Chung-Ang University, Seoul, Korea.
• World Neurosurg. 2019 Feb 1; 122: e530-e539.

BackgroundA few reported studies have documented psychotic syndromes secondary to a middle fossa arachnoid cyst (AC). However, the association between middle fossa ACs and psychopathological symptoms remains to be determined. The present study investigated the psychopathological effects of middle fossa ACs in young men.MethodsWe reviewed military personal inventory test profiles and baseline demographic data of 19-year-old conscription examinees from February 2013 to December 2016. In total, 132 examinees with middle fossa ACs and 350 examinees with normal findings were enrolled in the present study. Two separate comparisons were performed. First, we compared the middle fossa AC group with the control group. Second, the middle fossa AC group was divided into 2 groups according to cyst size and compared with the control group.ResultsFaking bad response behavior, infrequency, inconsistency, depression, schizophrenia, paranoia, and personality disorder cluster A scales were significantly associated with the presence of a middle fossa AC. Abnormal responses to the military personal inventory were significantly and positively correlated with cyst size. The prediction rate to show abnormal psychological results with the presence of an AC was estimated to be 60.7%-68.8%.ConclusionsThe presence of ACs and cyst size were associated with psychopathology in this select group of young men. The size-dependent psychopathological effects of ACs appear to result from a local mass effect on the brain.Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

23 keywords...

hide…