Symptomatic intraspinal lumbosacral pseudomeningocele, a late consequence of root avulsion injury secondary to a gunshot wound

BACKGROUND: Traumatic pseudomeningocele are usually a late consequence of cervical root avulsion injury and its occurrence in lumbosacral region is rare. This pathology is mostly due to violent blunt traumatic events and usually develops outside of the spinal canal. Occasionally, a pseudomeningocele may grow inside of the spinal canal causing delayed neurological deficit due to compromise of the adjacent neural structures. CASE DESCRIPTION: Evaluation of a delayed left lower extremity weakness in a young man with a history of a gunshot wound injury revealed an extradural pseudomeningocele arising from an S1 root avulsion injury with compressive effect on the adjacent L5 root OUTCOME: Excision of the cyst wall and reinstitution of the nerve root sheath resulted in an uneventful recovery CONCLUSION: To the best of our knowledge, the presented case with traumatic pseudomeningocele is the first example secondary to high velocity bullet injury. Furthermore, management of traumatic intraspinal pseudomeningocele subsequent to root avulsion injury has not been paid sufficient attention. In this paper, the surgical strategy will be discussed in detail.