Orbital meningocele in two case studies.

BACKGROUND: Orbital meningocele is a rare congenital malformation characterized by herniation of the meninges into the orbit through a congenital defect in the orbital bones. Much less commonly, it occurs at the site of natural openings (e.g., optic foramen and sphenoidal fissure) or can be attributed to trauma. CASES DESCRIPTION: We report two patients with progressive proptosis found to have orbital meningoceles, respectively, attributed to congenital and traumatic lesions. The computed tomography scan in one case documented a traumatic orbital bony defect, but in the other case, led the mistaken diagnosis of an arachnoid cyst. CONCLUSION: Both patients underwent two operations each to ultimately achieve successful surgical correction of their respective traumatic and congenital orbital meningoceles.