Marrone Salvatore, Alessandro Biancardino Antonio, Giovannini Evier Andrea, Paolini Federica, Maria Campisi Benedetta, Mandelli Jaime, Santangelo Domenico, Fanara Salvatore, Vaccaro Giuseppe, Vecchio Michele, Gerardo Iacopino Domenico, Basile Luigi
Unit of Neurosurgery, Sant'Elia Hospital, via Luigi Russo n° 6, Caltanissetta, Italy.
Neurosurgical Clinic, AOUP "Paolo Giaccone", Post Graduate Residency Program in Neurologic Surgery, Department of Biomedicine Neurosciences and Advanced Diagnostics, School of Medicine, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
Radiol Case Rep. 2024 Dec 12;20(3):1317-1322. doi: 10.1016/j.radcr.2024.11.028. eCollection 2025 Mar.
Pineal cysts are benign, nonneoplastic lesions of the pineal gland, often identified incidentally on MRI scans. Although these cysts are usually asymptomatic, they can occasionally enlarge and compress adjacent structures, leading to neurological complications such as obstructive hydrocephalus and Parinaud's syndrome. The underlying mechanisms of pineal cyst development remain largely unclear, although inflammation - common in rheumatological conditions such as fibromyalgia - and mechanical stress have been suggested as contributing factors. In addition, the incomplete blood-brain barrier of the pineal gland raises the possibility that chronic lithium therapy, commonly used for psychiatric disorders and also known for its hyperplastic effects, could facilitate cysts formation through lithium accumulation and epithelial stimulation. We report the case of a 49-year-old woman with bipolar disorder on long-term lithium treatment who presented with a pineal cyst and clinical symptoms consistent with fibromyalgia. A review of the literature highlights possible links between pineal cyst formation, systemic inflammation associated with rheumatological disorders and prolonged lithium exposure. Although the hyperplastic properties of lithium in glandular tissue are well documented, there is no conclusive evidence directly linking lithium use to the development of pineal cysts in humans. The possibility of cystic growth driven by the pro-inflammatory environment of fibromyalgia remains plausible and warrants further investigation of the complex interactions between lithium therapy, systemic inflammation and pineal cystogenesis, particularly in patients with coexisting rheumatological and psychiatric disorders.
松果体囊肿是松果体的良性非肿瘤性病变,常在MRI扫描时偶然发现。尽管这些囊肿通常无症状,但偶尔会增大并压迫邻近结构,导致诸如梗阻性脑积水和帕里诺德综合征等神经并发症。松果体囊肿形成的潜在机制在很大程度上仍不清楚,尽管炎症(在纤维肌痛等风湿性疾病中常见)和机械应力被认为是促成因素。此外,松果体的血脑屏障不完整,这增加了一种可能性,即常用于精神疾病且以增生效应闻名的慢性锂治疗,可能通过锂的蓄积和上皮刺激促进囊肿形成。我们报告一例49岁患有双相情感障碍且长期接受锂治疗的女性病例,该患者出现了松果体囊肿及与纤维肌痛相符的临床症状。文献综述凸显了松果体囊肿形成、与风湿性疾病相关的全身炎症以及长期锂暴露之间可能存在的联系。尽管锂在腺组织中的增生特性已有充分记录,但尚无确凿证据直接将锂的使用与人类松果体囊肿的发生联系起来。由纤维肌痛的促炎环境驱动囊肿生长的可能性仍然存在,值得进一步研究锂治疗、全身炎症和松果体囊肿发生之间的复杂相互作用,尤其是在同时患有风湿性和精神疾病的患者中。