Giant true dorsal thoracic meningocele in a school-age child (original) (raw)

A Rare Case of an Isolated Intra-Thoracic Meningocele: Case Report and Review of the Literature

Scholars journal of medical case reports, 2024

A spinal meningocele is a saccular protrusion of the meninges through a dilated intervertebral foramen or a bony defect of the vertebral column. Intrathoracic meningocele is a rare condition. Only a few cases were related in the literature. It is usually associated with neurofibromatosis type 1. Isolated intrathoracic meningoceles without neurofibromatosis is a very rare entity few cases have been reported in the medical literature. Regardless of the treatment plan cross-sectional imaging techniques such as CT and MRI are essential not only for the diagnosis but also to determine the relationship to the surrounding structures and the exclusion of other neuromas and any skeletal deformities. Surgical excision is the treatment of choice in symptomatic patients.

Isolated giant intrathoracic meningocele associated with vertebral corpus deformity

Interactive cardiovascular and thoracic surgery, 2004

Published reports of intrathoracic meningocele with vertebral corpus defects in the absence of neurofibromatosis are very rare. We report a 9-year-old male with intrathoracic meningocele. We believe that vertebral corpus defects may play a certain role in the etiology of intrathoracic meningocele.

Isolated true anterior thoracic meningocele

AJNR. American journal of neuroradiology

Intrathoracic meningocele is rare and is usually associated with neurofibromatosis type I. Most of the reported thoracic meningoceles are not strictly anterior in location, but also lateral or anterolateral. We report a case of true anterior thoracic meningocele with no associated generalized mesenchymal dysplasia.

Cervical meningocele and associated spinal anomalies

Child's Nervous System, 1987

Simple meningoceles are infrequent forms of dysraphism and are often benign. They have been associated with other spinal anomalies. The uncommon cervical meningocele may have a higher propensity to be associated with other spinal anomalies. Four patients with cervical meningocele are presented with radiographic evaluation and clinical course. Multiple abnormalities were documented radiographically and operatively, including hydrocephalus, Chiari malformation, hydromyelia, lipomeningomyelocele, tethered cord, thickened filum terminale, diastematomyelia, Klippel-Feil syndrome, and thoracic hemivertebrae. Prior to the development of any late neurological abnormality from associated spinal anomalies, magnetic resonance imaging is recommended early in a child born with a simple meningocele.

Lateral sacral meningocele presenting as a gluteal mass: a case report

Journal of Medical Case Reports, 2010

Introduction: Lateral meningocele is a very rare disorder. It has been reported in patients with neurofibromatosis or Marfan's syndrome. Previous reports have described lateral meningoceles in the thoracic or cervical region. Lateral meningocele in the sacral area was reported in the literature only once. Case presentation: We describe a 3.5-year-old Iranian girl who presented with a lateral gluteal mass. Neuroimaging and intra-operative evaluation showed that the mass was a lateral sacral meningocele with spinal communication through the iliac bone. We also present a review of the literature about this entity. Conclusions: Although lateral meningoceles especially in the sacral region are rare disorders, their possibility should always be considered in young patients presenting with a paravertebral or gluteal mass.

Is meningocele really an isolated lesion?

Child's Nervous System, 2001

We designed this study to elucidate the associated occult spinal lesions in patients with simple dorsal meningocele. Methods: The study population was comprised of two groups. Group I comprised newly diagnosed patients with dorsal spinal meningocele, and group II comprised patients who had had surgery for meningocele and presented with progressive neurological deficits. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of the whole spinal column were done. The associated spinal cord malformations were also treated at the same operation. There were 14 boys and 8 girls, with an age range from birth to 4 years (mean 3.9 months), in group I. Of 20 patients (90%) with associated spinal lesions, 6 had more than one lesion, excluding hydromyelia. Group II was made up of 6 patients who had been previously operated on for a meningocele and who presented with tethered cord syndrome. These were 4 boys and 2 girls, who ranged in age from 4 to 10 years (mean 6 years). Results: The level of the conus terminalis was lower than L3 in all patients. The other findings on MRI, besides low conus, were as follows: tight filum, split cord malformation, epidermoid, dorsal lipoma and hydromyelia. Conclusions: Meningocele frequently camouflages a second, occult, spinal lesion. MRI of the whole spinal column should be performed. An intradural exploration performed with a microneurosurgical technique is needed to detect the fibrous bands that may lead to spinal cord tethering and to release the entrapped nerve roots. The other associated spinal anomalies should be operated on during the same operation.

Thoracic meningocele in lumbo-costo-vertebral syndrome in a child: possible enlargement with repeated motion by anchoring to the diaphragm

Journal of neurosurgery. Pediatrics, 2016

Lumbo-costo-vertebral syndrome (LCVS) is a rare disorder in children that is characterized by hemivertebrae, congenital absence of ribs, meningocele, and hypoplasia of the truncal and abdominal wall presenting as a congenital lumbar hernia. An otherwise healthy 12-month-old girl was referred to the authors' hospital with soft swelling on her left middle back; scoliosis had been present since birth. Imaging revealed a thoracic meningocele, ectopia of the spleen suggesting lumbar hernia, multiple anomalies of the thoracic vertebral columns, and defects of the ribs; thus, LCVS was diagnosed. Surgical observation revealed that the meningocele was firmly anchored to part of the diaphragm, which created stretching tension in the meningocele continuously with exhalation. Once detached, the meningocele shrank spontaneously and never developed again after cauterization. In this case, continuous or pulsatile pressure in the presence of a vertebral defect was thus considered to be an impor...

True cervicothoracic meningocele: a rare and benign condition

Cervical meningoceles are rare spinal dys-raphism, accounting for approximately 7% of all cystic spinal dysraphism. In spite of the rarity , the clinical course is most of the times benign. The surgical treatment includes resec-tion of the lesion and untethering, when presented. We present a 14-day-old female child with true meningoceles who underwent to surgical excision and dura-mater repair. Retrospect analysis of the literature concerning true cervical meningocele is performed. By reporting this illustrative case, we focus on its classification and its differentiation from other types of cervical spinal dysraphism, such as myelocystocele and myelomeningocele. Although its course is benign, it is mandatory a continuum follow up with periodic magnetic resonance imaging of spinal cord, since late neurological deterioration has been described.

Ossified thoracic spinal meningioma in childhood

Clinical Neurology and Neurosurgery, 2001

Spinal ossified meningiomas are extremely rare. This is a report of a study on a 15-year-old boy with thoracic spinal ossified meningioma. The meningioma was resected totally. Histopathological examination revealed a transitional meningioma (psammo-matous+ meningothelial). Immunohistochemically, Ki 67 antibody was applied but no positive staining was present. The surgical and pathological aspects of spinal ossified meningiomas were reviewed.