Cervical spinal dysraphism.

OBJECTIVE: Cervical spinal dysraphism is a rare congenital spinal pathology. The results obtained from our series are compared with the results obtained from other series of studies in the literature.

METHODS: Seven patients with cervical myelomeningocele and meningocele who underwent surgery between January 1996 and March 2009 at the YYU Faculty of Medicine in the Department of Neurosurgery were retrospectively studied.

RESULTS: The referral ages of the patients (6 females and 1 male) varied between 4 days and 4 months (median 1 month). A stalk lesion covered with a dysplastic skin formed as a sac and located at the cervical midline was demonstrated in all of the patients. Cervical myelomeningocele was present in 4 patients, while cervical meningocele was present in 3 patients; however, Chiari type II malformation and hydrocephaly were present in 3 patients with myelomeningoceles. Diastematomyelia and a filum terminal lipoma were present in 1 of the patients.

CONCLUSION: In this series, in contrast to the literature, we noted that the number of girls with spinal dysraphism with a cervical myelomeningocele and meningocele was greater than the number of boys. Chiari type II malformation, hydrocephaly and motor weakness in patients with cervical spinal dysraphism are less frequent when compared to patients with caudal spinal dysraphism. The structure of the sac is also more durable and, accordingly, a cerebrospinal fluid leakage is uncommon.