Cyst of the medullary conus: malformative persistence of terminal ventricle or compressive dilatation?

Neurosurg Rev. 2002 Mar;25(1-2):103-6. doi: 10.1007/s10143-001-0203-8.

Abstract

The ventriculus terminalis is a cavity situated at the level of the conus medullaris, enclosed by ependymal tissue and normally present as a virtual cavity or as a mere ependymal residue. In rare cases, and almost exclusively in pediatric age, the ventriculus terminalis may be visualized by radiological investigations, either by sonography or MRI, and represents a transient finding in children under 5 years of age. In pathological conditions, a cyst of the conus medullaris is probably the result of a persistent ventriculus terminalis and is usually described in children in association with a tethered cord; in a very limited number of cases, it has been described in adults whose clinical symptoms consist of neurological and/or sphincter disturbances not associated with other pathologies. The authors describe the case of a 42-year-old female with a cyst of the conus whose only symptom was imperious minction; she had been suffering from these urinary disorders for many years. The patient was not operated on because the clinical situation remained stable, without modifications of the MRI in follow-up over a 6-year period. The authors therefore suggest that in adult patients, a cyst of the conus medullaris is probably an expression of malformative persistence of the fifth ventricle and does not necessarily have a progressive evolution.

Publication types

  • Case Reports
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Cerebral Ventricles / abnormalities
  • Cysts / diagnosis*
  • Cysts / etiology*
  • Cysts / physiopathology
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging*
  • Spinal Cord Diseases / diagnosis*
  • Spinal Cord Diseases / etiology*
  • Spinal Cord Diseases / physiopathology