Clinical course and evaluation of meningocele lesion in adulthood: a case report

Surgical management of spinal dysraphism is an important area of neurosurgery. Spinal dysraphism defines incomplete fusion the neuronal arch, varying from the occult to more severe open neural tube defects. Meningocele, the simplest form of open neural tube defects, is characterized by cystic dilatation of meninges, which contain cerebrospinal fluid without any neuronal tissue. The natural course of meningocele has not entirely explored. Adult patients with spinal dysraphism may give some evidences about the clinical progression of malformations. Small series or few cases have been reported on dyplastic malformations in adults [1–5]. In this report, we present a 48 years-old patient with meningocele who has developed urinary and fecal incontinence in adulthood. The clinical course of this congenital malformation and the pathophysiology of the adult onset of symptoms are discussed.