CSF pseudocyst: an unusual cause of back pain

A 27-year-old woman presented with a 10-month history of right-upper back pain that radiated anterolaterally along the right chest wall and was aggravated by coughing and deep inspiration. She had surgical resection of a low-grade cerebellar astrocytoma 21 years previously. Since that time, she had a ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt. MRI of the cervicothoracic spinal cord failed to demonstrate any spinal abnormality to account for pain. However, there was a 15×8 cm cystic collection in the right-upper abdominal quadrant (figure 1A, B; black star). CT of the abdomen …