Spontaneous clival meningocele

Area of Science:

• Neurosurgery
• Radiology
• Neurology

Background:

• Meningoceles, particularly in the occipital bone, are uncommon.
• Nontraumatic clival meningoceles are extremely rare, involving cerebrospinal fluid herniation through clival defects.

Observation:

• The patient presented with worsening headache, a common symptom.
• Idiopathic intracranial hypertension was a pre-existing condition.

Findings:

• Magnetic resonance imaging confirmed a clival meningocele.
• The meningocele was diagnosed without other associated complications.

Implications:

• This case underscores the importance of considering rare causes of headache in patients with intracranial hypertension.
• Medical surveillance is a viable management strategy for uncomplicated clival meningoceles.