Postexercise Death Due to Hemorrhagic Colloid Cyst of Third Ventricle: Case Report and Literature Review

Background: Colloid cysts of the third ventricle are rare, slow-growing lesions of neuroepithelial origin. Although histopathologically benign, third ventricular colloid cysts are a well-known cause of sudden, unexpected coma and death. Several theories have been proposed to describe the rare, sudden onset of severe symptomatology and rapid clinical decline due to colloid cysts. Moreover, there is currently no clear consensus regarding the most suitable neurosurgical technique or the most effective approach for resection, nor do guidelines or standardized clinical indications exist to recommend observation versus intervention and/or resection in the asymptomatic patient. To highlight this conundrum, we present a clinical case of a hemorrhagic colloid cyst that resulted in fatality and discuss the relevant literature.

Case description: A 21-year-old male presented to an outside hospital with an acute onset of a severe headache, nausea, and vomiting, which started while jogging. A few hours later, he precipitously declined into a comatose state. Radiographic imaging demonstrated a hemorrhagic third ventricular colloid cyst causing acute obstructive hydrocephalus, severe increased intracranial pressure, and downward herniation. He was then transferred to our institution for neurosurgical intervention. Despite aggressive cerebrospinal fluid drainage and medical management, he was declared brain dead several days later.

Conclusions: To our knowledge, this is the only case report to describe sudden-onset coma and death due to a hemorrhagic third ventricular colloid cyst occurring after exercising. We review the literature on fatal colloid cysts emphasizing the proposed mechanisms of sudden death and current neurosurgical management in both asymptomatic and symptomatic patients.