Congenital spinal tumor in a patient with encephalocele and hydrocephalus: a case report

INTRODUCTION: Encephalocele is a rare congenital abnormality of the central nervous system, where brain tissue protrudes from a defect in the skull. Some anomalies are associated with encephalocele. However, the association of spinal teratoma and encephalocele has not been reported in the English literature. CASE PRESENTATION: We report the case of an Iranian girl with a history of encephalocele surgery, who, at the age of four years, developed an intramedullary spinal teratoma, and discuss the pathogenesis of this association. CONCLUSION: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of an association between encephalocele and spinal teratoma.