A rare case of lymphangiomatosis of the craniocervical spine in conjunction with a Chiari I malformation.

Lymphangiomatosis of the bone is rare. The axial as well as appendicular skeleton may be affected. Neurosurgical consultation may be called for several reasons: (1) lesions involving the calvarium and/or spine; (2) nondiagnostic biopsies from more accessible and less morbid locations, and (3) persistent CSF leak and/or recurrent meningitis. Thus, it is important for the neurosurgeon to be familiar with this disease entity and consider it in the differential diagnoses of multifocal lytic lesions of the axial skeleton. We present a case report of a 4-year-old girl with lymphangiomatosis of the skull base and upper cervical spine with concurrent Chiari I malformation and briefly review the literature. Copyright 2003 S. Karger AG, Basel