Sacral meningocele in a military pilot, presenting during flight

This study describes an unusual case of a military pilot with sacral meningocele that contained cerebrospinal fluid and presented as episodes of gluteal neuralgia during flight. The patient, a 38-yr-old male pilot, had complained of a dull and mild low lumbar pain over the previous 10 mo. These pains were exacerbated and radiated to the left gluteal region during flight. The patient's history, clinical examination, imaging findings, and treatment are reported. CT and MRI imaging revealed an unusual case of sacral meningocele (2.2 cm x 3.6 cm X 5.8 cm). These lesions can progress steadily in size, leading to worsening symptoms and potentially requiring surgical management. However, surgery is not indicated for stable and asymptomatic lesions not associated with tumors. In our case, tactical monitoring was suggested, since no other symptoms appeared. There are currently no other reported cases involving pilots, so an individual approach to treatment should be taken in accordance with their military health service, the potential, risk factors, and depending on the level of acceleration experienced. We discuss the pathogenesis, the clinical and radiological findings of this rare condition, and note that a spinal cyst is of special interest when occurring in pilots since they are exposed to intense accelerations and spinal strain.