Anterior Thoracic Myelomeningocele: Case Report and Review of Literature

Myelomeningocele (MMC) is a malformation characterized by failure of closure of the neural tube resulting in protrusion of neural placode and meningeal lining through the bony and cutaneous defect in the midline. It commonly involves the lumbar and sacral regions (98%) and is rare in cervical and thoracic spine. Anterior thoracic MMC is even rarer with very few cases reported so far. Here we report a 12-year-old child, who presented with a bony deformity in the upper thorax and with gradual onset lower limb weakness. Magnetic resonance imaging of the spine revealed the presence of anterior MMC in the upper thoracic region. We have also reviewed the various articles of anterior thoracic MMC reported so far.