Compresión medular secundaria a quiste aracnoideo intradural de etiología traumática / Spinal cord compression secondary to traumatic intradural arachnoid cyst

Los quistes aracnoideos espinales son entidades raras y casi siempre tienen una etiología congénita o espontánea. Los casos secundarios son muy poco frecuentes y muchas veces constituyen una causa de deterioro neurológico tras varios meses o años de un traumatismo espinal. Presentamos el caso de un varón diagnosticado de quiste aracnoideo espinal de etiología traumática, agrupamos los casos descritos hasta el momento en la literatura y revisamos las distintas opciones quirúrgicas relacionándolas con las teorías fisiopatológicas que tratan de explicar la génesis de estas lesiones

Spinal arachnoid cysts are rare entities, most of which have a congenital or spontaneous etiology. Secondary cases are infrequent and can constitute a cause of neurological deterioration several months or years after spinal trauma. We present the case of a male patient with traumatic spinal arachnoid cyst, together with a review of the cases published to date. Finally, we explain the different surgical options for this pathology relating them to the physiopathological theories that try to explain the origin of these lesions

Spinal cord compression secondary to traumatic intradural arachnoid cyst. / Compresión medular secundaria a quiste aracnoideo intradural de etiología traumática.

Spinal arachnoid cysts are rare entities, most of which have a congenital or spontaneous etiology. Secondary cases are infrequent and can constitute a cause of neurological deterioration several months or years after spinal trauma. We present the case of a male patient with traumatic spinal arachnoid cyst, together with a review of the cases published to date. Finally, we explain the different surgical options for this pathology relating them to the physiopathological theories that try to explain the origin of these lesions.

[Radiological and surgical characteristics of a case of recurring spinal hydatidosis]. / Caracteristicas radiologicas y quirurgicas de un caso de hidatidosis espinal recurrente.

INTRODUCTION: Hydatidosis is an illness that is still to be found in our setting. The lungs and liver are the organs most frequently involved and it rarely extends to bones. Involvement of the spine is infrequent, but it can give rise to a high degree of disability and may recur despite apparently complete excision. Here we report a case of recurring spinal hydatidosis with radiological and surgical particularities. CASE REPORT: Our case involves a 63-year-old male living in a rural area of the northern part of Spain's central plateau. The patient had a history of surgery for spinal hydatidosis and was on treatment with mebendazole. In the months before his visit, the patient had experienced difficulty in walking and urgency incontinence. The examination revealed paraparesis that predominantly affected the right-hand side and the patient required bilateral support to be able to walk. A dorso-lumbar magnetic resonance scan showed post-surgery changes with pedicular instrumentation added later in another centre, and a hydatid cyst with involvement of the body of the D10 vertebra, epidural extension and compression of the spinal cord. The patient was submitted to a surgical procedure involving the extraction of the system of fixation and full macroscopic excision of the cyst, with partial resection of the body of the vertebra. Initially the patient displayed motor improvement and treatment with mebendazole was reintroduced in high doses. CONCLUSIONS: Spinal hydatidosis is a rare condition that, in spite of correct surgical and medical treatment, often recurs. Magnetic resonance scans show characteristic 'honeycomb' images, which are sometimes large and have their origins in the body of the vertebra. Although successive surgical interventions can become increasingly more difficult because of old instrumentation or the conservation of compromised vertebral bodies, aggressive excision is indicated while the patient still has useful neurological functioning.

Características radiológicas y quirúrgicas de un caso de hidatidosis espinal recurrente / Radiological and surgical characteristics of a case of recurring spinal hydatidosis

Introducción. La hidatidosis es una enfermedad aún presente en nuestro entorno. El pulmón y el hígado son los órganos implicados con más frecuencia y rara vez hay una extensión ósea. La afectación espinal es infrecuente y puede dar lugar a gran discapacidad y recurrir pese a exéresis aparentemente completas. Presentamos un caso de hidatidosis espinal recurrente con particularidades radiológicas y quirúrgicas. Caso clínico. Varón de 63 años, residente en un área rural de la meseta norte española. Antecedente de hidatidosis espinal intervenida y en tratamiento con mebendazol. Consultó por empeoramiento en los meses previos de su dificultad para la marcha y urgencia esfínteriana. En la exploración se objetivó una paraparesia de predominio derecho y marcha con requerimiento de apoyo bilateral. La resonancia magnética dorsolumbar mostró cambios posquirúrgicos con instrumentación pedicular posterior realizada en otro centro y quiste hidatídico con afectación del cuerpo vertebral D10, extensión epidural y compresión medular. Se llevó a cabo una intervención quirúrgica consistente en la extracción del sistema de fijación y exéresis macroscópica completa del quiste, con resección parcial del cuerpo vertebral. Se apreció una mejoría motora inicial y se reintrodujo el tratamiento con mebendazol en dosis altas. Conclusiones. La hidatidosis espinal es una entidad poco frecuente que, pese a un adecuado tratamiento quirúrgico y médico, recurre con frecuencia. La resonancia magnética muestra imágenes características en ‘panal de abeja’, en ocasiones de gran tamaño y con origen en el cuerpo vertebral. Aunque las intervenciones quirúrgicas sucesivas plantean dificultades relacionadas con instrumentaciones antiguas o la conservación de cuerpos vertebrales afectos, la exéresis agresiva está indicada mientras el paciente mantenga una función neurológica útil(AU)

Introduction. Hydatidosis is an illness that is still to be found in our setting. The lungs and liver are the organs most frequently involved and it rarely extends to bones. Involvement of the spine is infrequent, but it can give rise to a high degree of disability and may recur despite apparently complete excision. Here we report a case of recurring spinal hydatidosis with radiological and surgical particularities. Case report. Our case involves a 63-year-old male living in a rural area of the northern part of Spain’s central plateau. The patient had a history of surgery for spinal hydatidosis and was on treatment with mebendazole. In the months before his visit, the patient had experienced difficulty in walking and urgency incontinence. The examination revealed paraparesis that predominantly affected the right-hand side and the patient required bilateral support to be able to walk. A dorsolumbar magnetic resonance scan showed post-surgery changes with pedicular instrumentation added later in another centre, and a hydatid cyst with involvement of the body of the D10 vertebra, epidural extension and compression of the spinal cord. The patient was submitted to a surgical procedure involving the extraction of the system of fixation and full macroscopic excision of the cyst, with partial resection of the body of the vertebra. Initially the patient displayed motor improvement and treatment with mebendazole was reintroduced in high doses. Conclusions. Spinal hydatidosis is a rare condition that, in spite of correct surgical and medical treatment, often recurs. Magnetic resonance scans show characteristic ‘honeycomb’ images, which are sometimes large and have their origins in the body of the vertebra. Although successive surgical interventions can become increasingly more difficult because of old instrumentation or the conservation of compromised vertebral bodies, aggressive excision is indicated while the patient still has useful neurological functioning(AU)