Management of occult intrasacral meningocele associated with lumbar disc prolapse.

Occult intrasacral meningocele is an uncommon condition that may produce chronic low back pain, sciatica, and bladder dysfunction. We describe a patient suffering from low back pain and radicular symptoms, in whom multimodality radiological examinations showed an intrasacral meningocele and a lumbar disc prolapse. The protruded disc was considered to be the cause of the clinical symptoms in this patient rather than the meningocele. Surgical removal of the protruded disc was performed without interference with the meningocele. Postoperatively there was recovery of the preoperative deficits. Clinical and radiographic findings in occult intrasacral meningocele are discussed and criteria for differential diagnosis with disc prolapse are stressed.