What Does "arachnoid Cyst In The Right Parietal Parafalcine Location" Indicate?

Posted on Mon, 7 Apr 2014

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Mon, 7 Apr 2014 Answered on

Thu, 24 Apr 2014 Last reviewed on

Question : If a CT scan following a head injury to a 34 year old, while working underneath a car, shows an incidental arachnoid cyst in the right parietal parafalcine location, should the follow-up outpatient MRI imaging be standard without contrast or is it necessary to have it done with contrast? Thanks, XXXXXXX

Answered by Dr. Vaddadi Suresh (53 minutes later)

Brief Answer: plain MRI with FLAIR. Detailed Answer: Hi XXXX, An arachnoid cyst can be easily diagnosed with CT brain. however, if MRI is contemplated, a plain MRI with DWI and/or FLAIR sequences will be sufficient. There is no need to go for contrast unless there is a strong suspicion that the cyst could represent a portion of malignant mass. Hope i am clear.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Yogesh D

Follow up: Dr. Vaddadi Suresh (39 minutes later)

Dr. XXXXXXX Yes, you were very clear on "no need for contrast". Thanks. As a follow-up question, what is the DWI and/or FLAIR sequences? XXXX

Answered by Dr. Vaddadi Suresh (6 minutes later)

Brief Answer: different varieties of taking MRI scans Detailed Answer: Hi, Thanks for writing back. DWI Diffusion Weighted Images Fluid Attenuation and Inversion Recovery These are different varieties of taking MRI scans (just like plain and contrast, which gives different information in the same shot). Hope this helped. If so, please rate the answer for encouraging us. Thank you in advance.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Raju A.T