Anterior sacral meningocele: excision by the abdominal approach.

Anterior sacral meningocele is a unilocular or multilocular extension of the dura mater and arachnoid out of the sacral spinal canal into the retroperitoneal and infraperitoneal space. It contains CSF, which in some of the reported cases has been discolored (slightly yellow), and has had an elevated protein content. Surgery with sacral laminectomy and surgery by the transabdominal approach are the treatment options for this malformation. We report a case of a 16-year-old female patient having a large anterior sacral meningocele. She underwent surgical treatment by the abdominal approach, and the meningocele sac was excised. We presented the clinical and radiological features of our patient and discussed them with reference to the literature. Copyright 2005 S. Karger AG, Basel.