What is the Pineal Gland Cyst and Treatment of Disease?

1 What causes the disease

The main function of the pineal gland of the brain is to produce melatonin, which refers to the endocrine system. This fluid must be released into the bloodstream, the third ventricle, as well as the spinal cord( part of the cerebrospinal fluid).The pineal gland cyst of the brain, in turn, is formed in those cases when the outflow of melatonin is for some reason violated. This can be a natural blockage of the canals, as well as inflammation in one part of the brain. Less often this is due to the presence of another tumor, which mechanically squeezes the channels.

Recently, doctors have determined that the pineal cyst of the brain can also be formed due to exposure to foreign microorganisms, in particular echinococci( in the pituitary).This also has a certain effect on the output of the output channels. Inside the pineal gland, the pressure of the fluid increases, a cyst arises that is filled with this fluid. As a rule, it does not increase with time, but the influence of external factors can provoke an accelerated reaction.

To the formation of cysts still include such reasons as the presence of thrombi in the common circulatory system. Over time, they break away from the blood vessels and disrupt the normal blood flow in the brain. This is accompanied by a sharp drop or an increase in internal pressure. As a rule, if the reason is precisely this, then the patient has such a symptom as acute prolonged headache, and sharpness of vision may fall sharply.

2 Symptomatic manifestations of the disease

In most cases, the cyst in the pineal gland exists without any symptoms. Even after dozens of years, the patient may not know about the new growth that appeared in his brain. But when the size of the tumor becomes critical( it takes about half of the entire gland), the patient develops unsystematic headaches, often compared with migraine. Here only the symptom appears in the most unpredictable time, that is irrespective of arterial pressure or weather conditions. At the same time, traditional tablets, which are prescribed to eliminate headaches, do not help.

At transition to a chronic stage the disease shows itself following symptomatology:

• infringement of visual function( can be periodic);
• problems with coordination of movements, sluggish or curve gait;
• attacks of nausea and vomiting( usually manifested in complex with headaches);
• hydrocephalus.

Doctors until now can not establish, on which the progressivity of symptoms depends. In some, they are clearly pronounced, while others( even if the cyst is large) there are no headaches. Apparently, this is a physiological feature of the structure of the brain.

If the epiphysis is damaged parasitically, which is also accompanied by the formation of a cyst, the above symptoms are supplemented with:

• frequent, deep and uncaused depression;
• dementia;
• delusional states;
• hallucinations.

There are cases when parasitic lesions led to epileptic seizures, which, however, do not arise because of bright colored flashes, but for no reason. Still some patients asserted, that the disease led to drowsiness. That is, they constantly wanted to sleep, although the doctors did not find any confirmation about the relationship of symptoms.

3 Risks in the growing pathology of

The danger that the cyst conceals is the pressure on nearby brain tissue, the deterioration of blood flow, and the low probability of transformation into a malignant tumor. But in most cases, such a neoplasm does not give itself out throughout the life of the patient. Symptoms can appear only if there is an additional factor that affects the overall course of the disease( eg, regular migraines or physical trauma of the brain).

Dangerous for life is the echinococcal lesion and the appearance because of this cyst. The fact is that the products of vital activity of these microorganisms can settle on the walls of the vessels in the form of solid-state accumulations. Those, in turn, almost completely cover the possibility of outflow of melatonin, which leads not only to an increase in the size of the cyst, but also to the fact that the symptoms are added to the disease in the endocrine system( hormonal imbalance).This is especially dangerous for the fair sex. Often the pathology in the production of hormones affects the reproductive function. That is, a woman becomes barren.

In the process of increasing the pineal cyst, there is a risk of complete blockage of the outflow channels, which results in paralysis or the transformation of the cyst into a malignant tumor. Pathology is transferred to a number of located healthy cells, which begin to actively mutate. And the stage of the disease, on which all this occurs, is different for each patient.

4 Therapeutic actions

In most cases, doctors recommend treating the pineal gland cyst only if the patient's condition worsens. At the same time, it is impossible to eliminate the violation of outflow of fluid without surgical intervention in any way. Accordingly, it is recommended to repeat the MRI examination every 6-10 months.

The situation is different if it is a parasitic disorder in the pineal gland. In this case, it is necessary to get rid of the causative agent of the disease, after which the outflow of channels, as a rule, is restored independently. In rare cases, a probe is used( when thrombosed areas appear or the gland cavity is stretched).

With an insignificant cyst size, the removal of pathology occurs endoscopically. In other cases, a gamma knife is used that can seal channels or break thrombosed areas by radiation exposure( directional action, of course).

But the treatment with folk remedies will not bring any benefit. Unfortunately, it is impossible to stimulate or regulate the pineal gland. If it is a question of an echinococcal lesion of the brain, then it will only be necessary to take care of one's own immunity. To do this, consult a nutritionist.

In advanced cases, when the cyst size exceeds 4 mm, only surgical intervention is used.

This method of treatment is also used after parasitic lesions. Gamma-knife in this case is useless, since it is not able to remove such a large body in the deep pores of the brain. The pineal gland will be completely removed, and the patient, in turn, will have to spend the rest of his life taking synthetic analogues of certain groups of hormones that simply cease to be produced in the body( those that are synthesized by the thyroid gland will not be enough).

As a rule, the decision regarding surgical intervention is made by a commission of doctors after examining the patient and establishing the likelihood of hydrocephalus or disorders in the work of the cardiovascular system. If a real threat to life is discovered, then there is no way to do without surgical treatment.

It should be understood that the disease in most cases is considered an innate pathology( if the outflow of fluid is not disturbed by the action of parasites), therefore it is incurable. The only way to recovery is complete removal of the pineal gland, which is accompanied by many problems in the future life. In addition, the procedure itself carries a lot of dangerous consequences. Still, the operation is performed on the brain. Moreover, the patient himself must be fully conscious during the procedure. So doctors identify possible malfunctions in the brain.

5 Statistical data

According to WHO statistics, the pineal gland cyst is a very common disease, but many simply do not know about its presence. In such cases, if the cyst of the brain develops, treatment is not necessary if there is no significant symptomatology.

What symptoms should I look for? For causeless headache( when blood pressure is normal, and weather conditions do not herald leaks), sudden deterioration of eyesight, emotional outbursts for no apparent reason, delirium of the patient( similar to white fever).Here in such cases, it is necessary to undergo an MRI scan to establish a reliable cause of the pathology. And yes, the symptomatology of the pineal gland cyst is similar to other diseases of the brain, so the final diagnosis is established only by the doctor.