MANAGEMENT OF OCCULT INTRASACRAL MENINGOCELE ASSOCIATED WITH LUMBAR DISC PROLAPSE

Occult intrasacral meningocele is an uncommon condition that may produ ce chronic low back pain, sciatica, and bladder dysfunction. We descri be a patient suffering from low back pain and radicular symptoms, in w hom multimodality radiological examinations showed an intrasacral meni ngocele and a lumbar disc prolapse. The protuded disc was considered t o be the cause of the clinical symptoms in this patient rather than th e meningocele. Surgical removal of the protuded disc was performed wit hout interference with the meningocele. Postoperatively there was reco very of the preoperative deficits. Clinical and radiographic findings in occult intrasacral meningocele are discussed and criteria for diffe rential diagnosis with disc prolapse are stressed.