Spinal meningocele

A spinal meningocele is a herniation of meninges through bone defects or foramina to form a CSF-filled sac. An acquired meningocele is a comparatively common laminectomy complication, whereas congenital meningocele is a relatively rare developmental anomaly ¹⁾.

Spinal meningeal cysts are diverticula of the arachnoid or dura mater or of the nerve root sheath. They are uncommon, usually asymptomatic, and typically found incidentally on MRI.

Spinal meningeal cyst classification.

Anterior sacral meningocele

The cysts are usually asymptomatic, but if they are large, they may cause mass effects and symptoms relating to compression of local structures, e.g. nerve roots.

CSF pulsation can also remodel the surrounding bone, e.g. sacral canal.

The cysts contain CSF and have thin walls. They may be intradural or extradural and may contain neural tissue. The spinal meningeal cyst classification uses these features to separate the different type of cysts.

They have been occasionally associated with patients with connective tissue disorders such as :

Marfan syndrome

Ehlers-Danlos syndrome

Loeys-Dietz syndrome

Sjögren syndrome