Hemorrhagic colloid cyst with intraventricular extension.

Colloid cysts of the third ventricle presenting with acute obstructive hydrocephalus due to intracystic and intraventricular hemorrhage are extremely rare. The authors report a case of a 43-year-old man with a hemorrhagic colloid cyst that was treated using endoscopic surgery. A small colloid cyst of the third ventricle was initially diagnosed in the patient, and he was treated conservatively at that time. On admission to the authors' institution he presented with sudden headache onset without neurological deficits. Computed tomography and MRI demonstrated a round hemorrhagic mass lesion in the third ventricle with bilateral intraventricular hemorrhage. Endoscopic resection was performed using a flexible videoscope. Only partial removal of the cyst was performed because of a tough cyst wall with highly viscous, hemorrhagic cystic contents. Histological examination revealed a typical colloid cyst wall and hemorrhage mixed within a mucinous substance. Postoperative serial neuroimaging demonstrated a gradual reduction in the residual cyst size and normalization in the lateral ventricle size.