Enterogenous Cyst in the Cervical Spine : Case Report

Abstract

A case of cervical spinal enterogenous cyst is reported. A 33-year-old woman visited the hospital. Sensory examination showed slight diminution of sensation to pinprick on her right side up to the C4 dermatomere level. Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging revealed an intradural cystic mass located on the ventral side at the C5 level of the cervical vertebra. We removed the cyst totally, with laminectomy of C4-6 and right side partial facetectomy of C4/5 and C5/6. The cyst was composed of an epithelial layer and connective tissue, and was only slightly stained for periodic acid-Schiff. The cyst wall had no goblet cells at all. Electron microscopic findings revealed ciliated cells, non-ciliated cells and basal cell-like cells, which showed no evidence of mucin secretion. Although the cyst was lacking in one of the characteristics of enterogenous cyst, namely, mucin secretion, we still diagnosed it as an enterogenous cyst because the cyst wall was similar to bronchiolar epithelium and showed only endodermal elements. To our knowledge, an enterogenous cyst like the one in our case is very rare.