Abstract

RIVERO-CELADA, D. et al. Tumoral degeneration occurring over a non-healing meningocele: Report of two cases. Neurocirugía [online]. 2006, vol.17, n.6, pp.532-537. ISSN 1130-1473.

A giant meningocelic sac has not been usually described in adult patients, due to the fact that it shows a low incidence and few newborn have survived to date though the malformation is benign.  We report two cases of patients born with the described malformation and who were not operated at that time, so they reached adulthood with bigger sacs. They needed surgery to remove the sacs, for a different reason. The older one had a fistulous abcess but the LCR did not come out, and it did not improved by the application of topic and antibiotic treatment. The other patient showed a progressive growth of the malformation during the last year, skin hardening and pain.  The histological study of the dried sacs proved the existence of a carcinomatous degeneration.  In the patients we have treated, it seems that a chronic irritation of the LCR and the appearance of multipotent cells in the meningocele may favour the malignancy of the tissues surrounding the sac.  This possible malignancy, already described in the bibliography, suggests a prompt elective surgical treatment of the patients with these congenital lesions as soon as possible.

Keywords : Meningocele; Spina bifida; Carcinomatous degeneration; Sarcoma.

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