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[A painful occipital mass revealing a posterior encephalocele]

Sarah Meunier1, Sophie Michalak1, Julien Chaigneau1

  • 1Département de pathologie cellulaire et tissulaire, CHU d'Angers, 4, rue Larrey, 49933 Angers, France.

Annales De Pathologie
|August 19, 2014
PubMed

Insights

Encephalocele, a neural tube defect, presents as a congenital malformation. This case highlights a posterior encephalocele in an infant, confirmed by pathological examination of the occipital mass.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Pathology
  • Developmental Biology
  • Neuropathology

Background:

  • Encephalocele is a congenital neural tube defect.
  • It results from incomplete closure of the embryonic neural tube.
  • Posterior encephalocele is a common form, involving protrusion of brain tissue through a skull defect.

Observation:

  • A 7-month-old infant presented with a painful occipital mass present since birth.
  • Pathological examination of the mass revealed mature brain and meningeal tissues.
  • Tissues identified included neuroglia, ependymal canals, and meningothelial cells.

Findings:

  • The pathological findings confirmed a diagnosis of encephalocele.
  • The case illustrates a typical presentation of posterior encephalocele.
  • Differential diagnoses for midline masses in infants were considered.

Implications:

  • Accurate pathological diagnosis is crucial for managing neural tube defects.
  • Understanding diverse presentations aids in identifying less common or 'aborted' forms.
  • This case contributes to the understanding of encephalocele pathology and its variations.

Keywords:
Anomalie de la ligne médianeDysraphismDysraphismeDéfaut de fermeture du tube neuralEmbryologieEmbryologyEncéphalocèle postérieureMidline defectNeural tube defectPosterior encephaloceleSpina bifida

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