Arachnoid cysts in tuberous sclerosis complex

Objective: Some clinical findings in tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC), such as hypomelanotic macules or angiofibromas are related to problems in development of the neural crest, which is also the origin of cranial leptomeninges. Arachnoid cysts have been reported in two TSC patients to date. The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence and characteristics of arachnoid cysts in a large cohort of TSC. Materials and method: We performed a review of brain MRIs of 220 TSC patients searching for arachnoid cysts. Results: Arachnoid cysts were found in 12 (5.5%) (general population: 0.5%), including ten males (83.3%). Four patients (33.3%) had also autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) due to a contiguous deletion of the TSC2-PKD1 genes. Three patients (25%) had two or more arachnoid cysts, of whom two also had ADPKD. One patient with an arachnoid cyst did not have tubers, subependymal nodules or white matter migration lines. Conclusion: Our study suggests that arachnoid cysts are part of the clinical spectrum of TSC and may be also present in TSC patients without other typical TSC brain lesions.