Turkish Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation 2012 , Vol 58 , Num 3

Spinal Extradural Meningeal Cyst: Incorrect Radiographic and Clinical Diagnosis

Oğuz Durmuş 1 ,Engin Çakar 1 ,Ümit Dinçer 2 ,Mehmet Zeki Kıralp 3 ,Mustafa Özşahin 4
1 GATA Haydarpaşa Training Hospital, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Istanbul, Turkey
2 Gata Haydarpaşa Eğitim Hastanesi, Fizik Tedavi ve Rehabilitasyon Kliniği, İstanbul, Türkiye
3 Gülhane Askeri Tıp Akademisi Haydarpaşa Eğitim Hastanesi Fiziksel Tıp ve Rehabilitasyon Servisi, İstanbul, Türkiye
4 Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Düzce University Faculty of Medicine, Düzce, Turkey
DOI : 10.4274/tftr.59455

Extradural meningeal cysts are rare lesions and are uncommon causes of spinal cord or nerve compression. Most of these lesions probably remain unrecognized life-long, because they cause no symptoms. With the widespread use of new imaging techniques, asymptomatic spinal extradural meningeal cysts are becoming increasingly common. The therapeutic guidelines have not been well-established yet. Generally, patients with neurological deficits undergo surgery, whereas conservative approach is advised in asymptomatic individuals. Here, we report a 44- year-old woman who has suffered back pain for more than 20 years. Her symptoms were accompanied by numbness and tingling at the lower limbs. She has been followed with various diagnoses and treatment modalities in different centers. We established the diagnosis of huge thoracal extradural meningeal cysts and followed the patient with conservative approach.

Keywords : Meningeal cyst; neurological symptom; conservative management