Progressive myelopathy due to meningeal thickening in shunted patients: description of a novel entity and the role of surgery.
BACKGROUND
Spinal cord compression due to meningeal thickening is a rare occurrence in shunted patients. Because of the long delay to clinical onset, this complication has not been identified as yet.


OBJECTIVE
We report on nine cases of shunt-related progressive myelopathy due to meningeal thickening (SPMMT).


METHODS
We reviewed our database of shunted children, for cases having developed progressive tetraparesis due to cervical meningeal thickening.


RESULTS
We identified nine observations of SPMMT, eight of these with hydrocephalus due to neonatal meningitis; the last case had Dandy-Walker malformation shunted at birth and suffered postoperative meningitis. The age of clinical onset of myelopathy was between 6 and 20 years (median 12.8). All patients presented with slowly progressive walking difficulties with falls and no spinal pain. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed typically a thickened dura mater with collapse of the arachnoid space, compensatory expansion of the epidural fat, and T2 hyperintensity in the spinal cord. We operated on seven patients for surgical decompression and arachnoidolysis: One died postoperatively because of shunt malfunction, and two others died later of complications of tetraplegia. Three patients were aggravated after surgery, three experienced partial improvement, but one of these subsequently deteriorated again.


CONCLUSIONS
SPMMT appears to be a novel and well-defined clinical and pathological entity; its pathological and radiological features are stereotyped; however, the diagnosis is delayed because of the slow pace of the disease. Although surgical decompression may be the only option, its results were poor in our experience; earlier surgery might improve this grim prognosis.
Vinchon
Matthieu
M
Department of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Hôpital Roger Salengro, 59037, Lille Cedex, France. m-vinchon@chru-lille.fr
Dhellemmes
Patrick
P
Laureau
Emmanuelle
E
Soto-Ares
Gustavo
G
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002557:Cerebrospinal Fluid Shunts / Q000009:adverse effects*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D019299:Decompression, Surgical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006849:Hydrocephalus / Q000601:surgery; D007223:Infant; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008578:Meninges / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D008581:Meningitis / Q000150:complications; D019635:Neurosurgical Procedures; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013117:Spinal Cord Compression / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*