A high cervical intradural extramedullary bronchogenic cyst. Case report

Abstract

This article describes a 16-year-old male patient, otherwise healthy, with intractable suboccipital pain due to an intradural, extramedullary bronchogenic cyst at C1 level. Computed tomographic and magnetic resonance imaging scans showed an extramedullary cystic lesion on the right anterolateral side of the spinal cord at C1 level. No other vertebral, spinal cord, or cutaneous abnormality was associated. The patient underwent posterolateral resection of the C1 bony ring on the right side, followed by complete removal of a cyst microsurgically. Histology suggested that the mass, with its contents of slightly viscous and opaque liquid, was an atypical form of bronchogenic cyst with abundant pseudostratified ciliated epithelial cells.