Background:
Spinal meningeal (dural) cysts rarely cause spinal cord compression and/or myelopathy.
Case description:
A 38-year-old male presented with 6 weeks of worsening bilateral lower extremity paresthesias and an unsteady gait. Notably, the patient was involved in a snowmobile accident 7 years ago that resulted in trauma to his thoracic spine for which he had undergone a corpectomy and posterior fusion. A full spine MRI was obtained to evaluate his new paresthesias and myelopathy, which revealed a large extra-axial fluid collection consistent with a meningeal cyst extending from C2 to T4. This caused severe spinal cord compression, maximal at the T1-3 level. The patient underwent a T1-3 laminectomy initially accompanied by partial cyst resection/ drainage, but ultimately he returned and required a subsequent cystoperitoneal shunt. Following the final surgery, the patient's symptoms gradually resolved over 6 months postoperatively.
Conclusion:
Spinal meningeal cysts rarely cause back pain and/or neurological symptoms. MRI is the diagnostic study of choice for defining this entity. Operative intervention must be tailored to the symptoms, location, extent, and type of the cyst. If cysts recur after partial resection and drainage, cystoperitoneal shunt placement is warranted.