Surgical management of anterior sacral meningoceles: an illustrated case series and review of the literature

Abstract

Background: Anterior sacral meningocele (ASM) is an uncommon variant of spinal dysraphism. Surgical correction for this condition is challenging and optimal corrective approaches are uncertain.

Objective: To share our experience of managing this rare condition using the posterior trans-sacral approach and provide a contemporary review of the literature.

Methods: Retrospective review of case notes, operative records, and imaging of eligible patients treated via the posterior trans-sacral approach between 2006 and 2020 at our regional neurosciences centre.

Results: Three patients, two females and one male with a mean age of 30 years (range 16-38), were treated. Presenting symptoms included lower abdominal pain and recurrent miscarriages. Patients underwent corrective surgery using the posterior approach involving a sacral laminectomy, durotomy and closure of the communicating fistula. A single patient required reoperation due to early recurrence. Another patient proved challenging because of a very large sacral fistula and required two procedures due to the development of high-pressure headaches secondary to a recurrence. All patients improved symptomatically postoperatively and remained symptom free at the last clinic follow-up and have been discharged. Following review of the literature, only two other non-syndromic cases have been described.

Conclusions: ASM is an uncommon congenital abnormality, typically presenting with mass effect symptoms secondary to a presacral cystic mass. Surgical management using a posterior approach to close the meningeal sac is feasible and less invasive than an anterior approach. Long term clinical outcomes in our series were satisfactory.

Keywords: Anterior sacral meningocele; caudal dysgenesis; meningocele; posterior trans-sacral approach; sacral meningocele; tethered cord.