GIANT SACRAL CYSTS WITH NEUROGENIC BLADDER

Most sacral cysts are accidentally found on lumbar myelograms and are usually asymptomatic. We operated on two patients with giant sacral cy sts from S3 nerve roots who complained of neurogenic bladder and peria nal sensory disturbance as well as buttock pain. Morphology of these c ysts and intraoperative electrophysiological findings of nerve conduct ion block showed two kinds of pathogenesis causing these neurological symptoms. One was attributed to conduction block of more caudal sacral nerves squeezed between these giant sacral cysts and the other was du e to degeneration of nerve root fibers involved in the sacral cyst wal ls. Postoperatively, buttock pain and perianal hypesthesia were resolv ed, but the neurogenic bladder showed only partial recovery.