Case of the Week #531

Oueslati Boujemaa

Answer

Answer text

We present a case of cervical meningocele with filiform connection.

Our ultrasound examination found a midline soft mass behind the cervical spine, with an anechoic center. There was no obvious cleft. The fetal brain was normal, without Arnold Chiari syndrome or hydrocephaly. The prenatal MRI additionally found a "tethered" cord around C3-C4 levels.

Our hypothesis was a cervical meningocele with filiform connection, without any significant consequence on the spinal cord or the brain. A similar case was described by Dr Cuillier [1]. We followed the pregnancy and the baby was delivered normally.

The diagnosis was confirmed at surgery: cervical meningocele, without significant spinal cord involvement except for a few rootlets. There were no complications on follow-up after surgical excision.

Image 1: Postnatal image of the posterior neck

References

References:

[1] Cuillier F, Verg, Balu. "Meningocele, Cervical Filiform" TheFetus.net. https://thefetus.net/content/meningocele-cervical-filiform, Publish date 2/2012.