Endoscopic endonasal management of congenital intranasal meningocele in a 2-month-old infant.

INTRODUCTION

Nasal meningocele, which is usually congenital, is a rare anomaly resulting from meningeal herniation into the nasal cavities through a bone defect in the skull base.

CASE REPORT: An 8-day-old boy was referred with respiratory disturbance and nasal obstruction. Examination showed a cyst-like grayish swelling filling the right nasal cavity. CT scan showed opacity, of fluid-like density, filling the right nasal fossa, in contact with a small bony defect in the right cribriform plate. MRI ruled out herniated brain parenchyma and enabled diagnosis of meningocele. The patient was operated on at the age of 2 months through a transnasal endoscopic approach. Immediate postoperative course was favorable. MRI control at 8 months was normal.

DISCUSSION: Modern imaging (CT scan and MRI) is of paramount importance in the preoperative evaluation of nasal meningocele. Endoscopic endonasal (EE) surgery is currently the treatment of choice.

CONCLUSION

Steady progress in instrumentation, technique and skills will increase the feasibility of skull-base surgery using an endonasal approach in the pediatric population.