Mumbai: Headaches are a common health complaint that is often overlooked, yet they may indicate more serious underlying conditions such as brain cysts. A 47-year-old woman from Malad experienced persistent headaches and slurred speech for over two months, despite using painkillers and pain relief creams. When the symptoms did not improve, her husband consulted Dr. Samir Parekh, a neurosurgeon at Apex Superspeciality Hospitals in Borivali. Medical investigations revealed a large epidermoid tumor on the right side of her brain, involving major blood vessels. This case highlights the importance of seeking a thorough medical evaluation for chronic headaches and seizures, as they could be symptoms of significant health issues like brain cysts.
Adding more information on this Dr. Samir Parekh Neurosurgeon from Apex Superspeciality Hospitals, Borivali says,” Headache is the most common symptom of brain cysts. Therefore, it is extremely important that if a chronic headache is accompanied by any other symptom, one should consult a specialist immediately. We diagnosed through physical examination and imaging like CT scans and MRI and we found an epidermoid cyst, (size 7.1 x 4.4 x 6.3) also known as an epidermoid tumor, is a benign, slow-growing abnormality in the brain that occurs when skin cells become trapped during development. These cysts are congenital, but patients usually don't experience symptoms until they are 20 to 40 years old. They are often found in areas where the brain meets the brain stem, on the pituitary gland, along the inside of the skull, or growing through the skull bone. In such conditions and depending on the location of tumor symptoms can include vision difficulties, seizures, fever, headaches, neck stiffness, facial pain, numbness or weakness and hearing loss. Craniotomy and microscopic excision of tumor was done successfully in this case and It was removed completely. Further investigation referred to this tumour as non-cancerous."