Cervical congenital midline meningoceles in adults

The clinical presentation, biomechanical evaluation, and surgical techniques for repairing cervical meningoceles in adulthood are presented. Cervical meningoceles are typically diagnosed in childhood and are rarely reported among spinal dysraphic lesions in adulthood. In most cases, the cervical spinal cord is found tethered to the dura and other soft tissues by fibrous or fibroneural elements. Cervical lesions, unlike those that arise more caudally, rarely leak cerebrospinal fluid.

We report 5 male patients with meningoceles, aged 20 to 22 years (mean age, 20.4 years), in whom the primary evolution of the lesion occurred between 1999 and 2006.

All 5 patients presented to the hospital with cervical pain and mass. One patient had had a cerebrospinal fluid leak from the center of the lesion intermittently since birth. Another patient presented with neurological deficits and hypesthesia of the left hand. All patients underwent surgery. The lesion was excised, a partial laminectomy was performed, the internal tethering fibrous bands were released, and the neck of the structure was ligated. There was no neurological deterioration after surgery. No postoperative complications were observed during the 12-month follow-up period for each patient.

The goals of surgical exploration of these lesions are prevention of neurological deterioration, prevention of infection, and acceptable cosmetic outcome. Cervical meningoceles are tethering lesions of the spinal cord that may cause biomechanical injury with repetitive flexion-extension movements of the head and spine. It is therefore advisable to remove these lesions neurosurgically as soon as the diagnosis is made. Surgical intervention for cervical meningoceles should consist of exploration of the intradural fibrous bands with laminectomy, untethering of the spinal cord, and resection of the stalk and cyst of the meningocele.