Intraspinal epidermoid cyst occurring 15 years after lipomyelomeningocele repair: Case report

Abstract

The authors report the case of a spinal epidermoid cyst that developed in a patient who had undergone surgery for lipomyelomeningocele repair 15 years earlier. The patient presented with symptoms of retethering. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a cystic intraspinal mass that extended from L-2 to L-5. The mass proved to be an epidermoid cyst. Spinal epidermoid cysts can cause retethering after a repair of lipomyelomeningocele, and the risk of this development can be present for decades.