Language impairment associated with arachnoid cysts: recovery after surgical treatment.

Supporting data from the literature, we observe that large arachnoid cysts may affect cognitive function. Neuropsychologic assessment plus magnetic resonance imaging allowed for documentation of associations between left temporal arachnoid cysts, language impairment, and other cognitive dysfunctions. Significant cognitive improvements were evident soon after cysto-peritoneal shunting. These observations reinforce the rationale for neuropsychologic assessments of patients with developmental delay and arachnoid cysts, and support the potential benefit of surgical decompression for arachnoid cysts associated with neurologic deficits, even if surgery is performed well after the occurrence of neurologic deficits.