Neonatal Dyspnea Caused by Basicranial Meningoencephalocele
1998 Volume 91 Issue 2 Pages 123-127
Details
1998 Volume 91 Issue 2 Pages 123-127
Meningoencephalocele is a rare disease. Its incidence is regarded as one out of 35000 to 40000 birth. We accidentally discovered meningoencephalocele in a 4-month-old male who came to our hospital for treatment of dyspnea. This patient had suffered from retraction breathing and cyanosis from about ten days after his birth. The cyanosis disappeared with time but the dyspnea and retraction breathing persisted.
His laryngopharynx and nasal cavity were examined with a fiberscope at our outpatient clinic. We decided to perform choanal plasty because we speculated that the dyspnea was caused by choanal stenosis.
Before choanal plasty we performed CT-scan of his head. The CT-scan revealed the presence of a Basicranial meningoencephalocele. Choanal plasty was abandoned as a treatment option, and tracheostomy was performed to improve the dyspnea. Had choanal plasty been performed, cephalomeningitis, may have resulted. Previous reports have suggested that polypoid masses in the nasal cavity may represent meningoencephaloceles which have cleared up. Accordingly, close attention to this possibility is required prior to surgical invasion of the nasal cavity.
