Late-Onset Cervical Pseudomeningocele Following Ossification of the Posterior Longitudinal Ligament Surgery Successfully Treated With a Lumboperitoneal Shunt.

Abstract

Pseudomeningocele (PMC) is a rare complication of anterior cervical procedures resulting in pain, headaches, nerve root entrapment, and in rare cases, spinal cord compression. Here we present a 57-year-old male with increasing myelopathy due to late-onset PMC that developed two years following a 360-degree cervical surgery for ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL). In this case, the PMC was successfully treated with a lumboperitoneal shunt. A 57-year-old male presented with worsening symptoms and signs of cervical myelopathy. He had undergone a multilevel anterior corpectomy/fusion (ACCF), along with posterior fusion, two years earlier for severe ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL). Now presenting with increased myelopathy, his cervical spine MRI demonstrated a PMC in the perivertebral space, extending to and compressing the anterior cervical cord. Following a lumboperitoneal shunt insertion, the patient's myelopathy resolved.  Acute, subacute, or chronic postoperative cervical pseudomeningoceles (PMC) may be readily managed with a lumboperitoneal shunt insertion.