title: Occipital meningoceles in patients with the Dandy-Walker syndrome.
abstract: Occipital cephaloceles in the Dandy-Walker syndrome are not rare. To date, 28 cases have been reported. We report on 8 cases of associated occipital meningocele, totalling 16% of all patients with the Dandy-Walker syndrome in our series. In all patients, communication existed between the posterior fossa cyst and the occipital meningocele. In 2 patients, the occipital meningocele disappeared after cerebrospinal fluid shunting and never required surgical repair. It appears that the cranial defect had ossified and resulted in self-closure. Poor intellectual development in persons with the Dandy-Walker syndrome is associated with the presence of other central nervous system and systemic abnormalities and not with occipital meningoceles alone.
authors.affiliation: Division of Neurosurgery, Northwestern University Medical School, Children's Memorial Hospital, Chicago, Illinois.
authors.forename: A K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Bindal
authors.forename: B B
authors.initials: BB
authors.lastname: Storrs
authors.forename: D G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: McLone
mesh_terms: D002557:Cerebrospinal Fluid Shunts; D003616:Dandy-Walker Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006849:Hydrocephalus / Q000601:surgery; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008588:Meningocele / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery; D009778:Occipital Lobe; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed