Delayed myelopathy after trivial neck injury in a patient with a cervical neurenteric cyst.
BACKGROUND
Neurenteric cysts are rare spinal lesions of congenital origin. They usually present insidiously with a long history of local spinal pain, radiculopathy and myelopathy. We report a 14-year-old male with a high cervical neurenteric cyst who developed a progressive myelopathy after minor neck trauma. Full recovery followed a partial cyst excision and decompressive procedure.


CONCLUSIONS
The possible pathogenic mechanisms for this unusual presentation include hemorrhage into the cyst, sudden mechanical compression from abnormal spinal movement of a chronically distorted and compressed spinal cord, or an increase in the size of the cyst secondary to accumulation of cyst fluid. In this case a small increase in the cyst size may have resulted in increased mechanical distortion and spinal cord dysfunction on a compressive and ischemic basis.
Midha
R
R
Department of Surgery (Neurosurgery), Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Gray
B
B
Becker
L
L
Drake
J
J
D000293:Adolescent; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009135:Muscular Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery; D009333:Neck / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery; D019838:Neck Injuries; D011859:Radiography; D016136:Spina Bifida Occulta / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery; D013117:Spinal Cord Compression / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery