A Case of Intrathoracic Meningocele

ABSTRACT

An intrathoracic meningocele is a saccular protrusion of the meninges through a normal or enlarged intervertebral foramen or bony defect of the thoracic vertebrae. It extends anteriorly between the ribs and into the thoracic cavity, displacing the pleura and lung and lying in the paravertebral gutter if of sufficient size. Meningocele, single or multiple, are prone to occur in cases of von Recklinghausen's neurofibromatosis, often in association with kyphoscoliosis. In this case, we found a case of intrathoracic meningocele associated with multiple lipoma of variable sizes in the back and hyperpigmentation in the anterior chest and upper back region but no evidence of neurofibromatosis. Because of rarity of this disease entity, we report a case of intrathoracic meninggocele with review of literature.