Cervical spinal dysraphism

Prenatal Diagnosis and Outcomes of Cervical Meningocele and Myelomeningocele

Prenatal diagnosis of myelomeningocele remains challenging for obstetricians, ultrasonographers, and radiologists, although the increased maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein level aids in the confirmative diagnosis. Fetal cervical myelomeningocele and meningocele are very rare and unique types of myelomeningocele. Prenatal diagnosis of cervical myelomeningocele and meningocele should include the differential diagnosis and association of many intracranial and spino-skeletal pathogenetic variants and genetic diseases, including subependymal nodular heterotopia and Klippel-Feil syndrome. In this report, a comprehensive review of fetal cervical myelomeningocele with its prenatal diagnosis and long-term outcomes is presented.

Cervical myelomeningocele with CSF leakage: a case-based review

BACKGROUND

The cystic spinal dysraphism of the cervical and upper thoracic region (CDCT) accounts for only 3.9 to 8% of spina bifida cystica lesions. The presence of external cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leakage is infrequent and very few authors have reported about surgical complications.

CASE REPORT

We present the case of a new born diagnosed of CDCT C1-C3 with a stalk of fibrovascular tissue, CSF leakage, hydrocephalus, and type Chiari II malformation, discuss about the chosen surgical technique and the associated complications, and make a review of the literature focusing on the main aspects of CDCT.

CONCLUSIONS

The CDCT with a stalk of neuroglial and/or fibrovascular tissue originates from the dorsal surface of the spinal cord and penetrates into a cervical cystic sac. The presence of CSF leakage, hydrocephalus, and/or type Chiari II malformation can influence to decide the most appropriate surgical technique.

Postoperative cardiorespiratory arrest in a case of cervical meningocele

Background:

Meningoceles are congenital herniation of meninges and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) through the skull and are bereft of any cerebral tissue. They are commonly found over the anterior fontanelle. Although some cases of cervical dysraphism have been described in the literature, a true meningocele has rarely been seen. The child usually presents with hydrocephalus with features of raised increased intracranial pressure. Sensory, motor, and sphincter functions may be involved depending on the level of lesion. Closure of meningocele should be ideally done within the first 48 h of birth.

Case Description:

Complications associated with meningocele range from learning disabilities, seizures, and bowel dysfunction to complete paralysis below the level of the lesion. The postoperative complications reported are wound infection, CSF leak/collection, urinary tract infection, deterioration of deficit, and death. Here, we present a postoperative case of an 11-month-old child with cervical meningocele who had an unusual complication almost 2 h after an uneventful surgery in the form of sudden cardiorespiratory arrest was revived successfully.

Conclusion:

A meningocele surgery is usually not associated with severe postoperative complications which can be encountered in meningomyelocele surgery. Here, in our case, the child with uneventful meningocele surgery arrested 2 h postsurgery with the possible cause being cervical cord edema. Hence, a lesson was learned that strict vigilance is also required in postoperative care for meningocele patients.

Cystic Cervical Dysraphism: Experience of 12 Cases

Introduction:

Cystic spinal dysraphism of the cervical region is a relatively rare entity, which is more frequently associated with congenital anomalies such as split cord malformation, Chiari malformation, and corpus callosum agenesis, when compared to their lumbosacral counterpart. In our study, we have highlighted the clinical spectrum, associated anomalies (both neural and extra-neural), and surgical nuances of these.

Materials and Methods:

This study is a retrospective analysis of 225 patients from June 2010 to April 2017. Twelve patients who were between the age of 1 month and 16 years were included in our study. Average age was 32.6 months, and there were five female patients and seven male patients. All patients underwent neurological and radiological examinations followed by surgical excision of the sac and exploration of the intradural sac using the standard microsurgical technique. Neurological, Orthopedic and urological outcomes were studied in our description.

Results:

Of the 12 cases, 9 patients (75%) had some associated anomaly. Four of the 12 patients (25%) had split cord malformation, 3 had corpus callosum agenesis, and 5 had Chiari malformation. Patients with cervical spina bifida cystica (SBC) present with less neurologic deficits and greater association with CCA.

Conclusion:

The management strategy and association with other congenital anomalies separates cervical dysraphism as a different clinical entity rather than just group. These patients rather show favorable outcome with regard to neurologic, orthopedic, and urologic problems as compared to their caudal counterpart. Early surgical intervention even before the onset of symptoms is recommended. A proper radiological and urological evaluation is warranted.

Cervicothoracic cystic dysraphism

Cystic dysraphism of the cervical and upper thoracic spine is very rare. It differs from the much more common lumbosacral dysraphism in appearance and structure, and usually portends a better prognosis due to lack of functional neurological tissue in the dysraphic sac and absent or less severe intracranial anomalies. There is ambiguity in the literature regarding terminology because of the paucity of cases. We present cases of the most common type of cervicothoracic cystic dysraphism and emphasize differences from lumbosacral myelomeningocele. Patient outcome depends on the presence of associated anomalies and whether complete surgical resection is performed. Imaging plays a critical role in surgical planning, screening the central nervous system for additional anomalies, and in the postoperative setting for evaluation of retethering.

Cervical rudimentary meningocele in adulthood

Almost all cases of cervical spinal dysraphism published to date have involved cystic lesions and were treated in very early childhood. The authors describe a unique case of a 21-year-old woman who harbored a solid cervical rudimentary meningocele. On preoperative CT and MR images, a cutaneous solid mass was shown to be connected to intraspinal contents by a stalk traversing the C-3 lamina defect. The authors resected the cutaneous mass and released the tethering neural band from the vertical axis of the spinal cord without causing injury. Pathological examination demonstrated a dense collagenous tissue containing clusters of meningocytes and psammoma bodies in the cutaneous mass. This rare entity, a spinal dysraphism with a benign natural history, may contribute to the current classification of cervical spinal dysraphism.