Intranasal Meningoencephalocele

Abstract

In seven of nine cases of intranasal meningoencephalocele, puncture, biopsy, or attempted total removal had been performed, resulting in nasal liquorrhea in six patients and meningitis in four. All of these patients recovered after neurosurgical treatment. An intranasal meningoencephalocele should be suspected if a newborn or a young infant shows an intranasal mass that is located medial to the middle concha bone, especially if this mass is not pedunculated and/or shows pulsations or Fürstenberg sign. Frontal tomography proved to be very useful for the demonstration of the dehiscence in the cribriform plate. Intranasal procedures, including biopsy, should not be performed unless one is prepared for major neurosurgical procedures.