Neurenteric cysts of the spinal cord mimicking multiple sclerosis.
A 54-year-old man died following a 20-year course of intermittent neurologic symptoms. He carried a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis, with most severe involvement thought to be in the spinal cord. At autopsy, two neurenteric (enterogenous) cysts were found to indent the anterior spinal cord -- at the T4 and T11 cord levels. Partial diplomyelia was present in the lumbo-sacral cord. These findings represent a unique combination of congenital abnormalities. Their embryogenesis and pathogenesis are discussed.
D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000473:pathology*; D009436:Neural Tube Defects / Q000196:embryology / Q000473:pathology*; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000196:embryology / Q000473:pathology