Surgical Technique and Review of Management of Frontoethmoidal Encephalocoele - A Case Report.

THE RATIONALE

Encephalocoele is a herniation of the brain formed during embryonic development, because of the incomplete closure of Neural Tube. It is a rare skull defect and most cases are located in the occipital bone. Frontal encephalocoeles are very rare and they may involve the ethmoid bone, nasal bones and/or the orbits. Surgical repair is complex and usually requires a multidisciplinary approach.

PATIENT CONCERNS

We present a case of a 6-month-old baby girl with a congenital frontoethmoidal encephalocoele.

DIAGNOSIS

The diagnosis was made by computed tomography scan that showed a defect on the frontoethmoidal zone.

TREATMENT

Cranial approach was employed using standard bicoronal access. The malformation was removed and the defect was repaired by using an autologous parietal bone graft, without any complication in the follow-up.

OUTCOMES AND TAKE-AWAY LESSONS: The goal of the surgery is to reconstruct the normal anatomy, to achieve a good cosmetic repair, and to avoid a cerebrospinal fluid leak. A description of the case and the surgical technique is presented with a review of literature.