[Spontaneous spinal cord herniation]

Spontaneous spinal cord herniation through a dural defect is an unusual condition. This entity has been probably underestimated before the introduction of MRI. We report a case of a 49-year-old man with a progressive Brown-Sequard syndrome. MRI and CT myelogram showed a ventrally displaced spinal cord at level T6-T7 and expansion of the posterior subarachnoid space. Through a laminectomy, a spinal cord herniation was identified and reduced. The anterior dural defect was repaired with a patch of lyophilized dura. The patient recovered muscle power but there was no improvement of the sensory disturbance. The diagnosis of spontaneous spinal cord herniation must be considered when progressive myelopathy occurs in middle-aged patients, without signs of spinal cord compression and typical radiological findings. Surgical treatment may halt the progressive deficits and even yield improvement in many cases.