title: Neurological presentation and long-term outcome following operative intervention in patients with meningocele manqué.
abstract: We review and describe the neurological presentation and long-term outcome of patients with meningocele manqué, and describe the dysraphic features associated with this entity. Our series of patients was collected over a 25-year period with a mean follow-up of 11.5 years. The mean age of presentation was 10.4 years and 72% of the patients presented with an abnormal neurological examination. At most recent follow-up, symptoms were stable, improved, and progressed in 47, 37 and 16%, respectively. Meningocele manqué was associated with focal hirsutism in 37% of the cases. These bands were primarily found in the lumbar spine and involved two sequential vertebral levels in 42% of cases. Sectioning of meningocele manqué has good long-term results in the majority of patients. These bands should be sought in the evaluation of patients with spinal dysraphism and surgically transected.
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Neurosurgery, Children's Hospital, Birmingham, Alabama 35233, USA. richard.tubbs@ccc.uab.edu
authors.forename: R S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Tubbs
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: McGirt
authors.forename: D E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Warder
authors.forename: W J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Oakes
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003108:Colonic Diseases / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007796:Laminectomy / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008588:Meningocele / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D016472:Motor Neuron Disease / Q000209:etiology; D009460:Neurologic Examination; D010146:Pain / Q000209:etiology; D010292:Paresthesia / Q000209:etiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016135:Spinal Dysraphism / Q000473:pathology; D001745:Urinary Bladder Diseases / Q000209:etiology