Posterolateral Idiopathic Spinal Cord Herniation With CSF Leak in a Pediatric Patient: A Case Report

Idiopathic spinal cord herniation (ISCH) is a rare cause of thoracic myelopathy, typically presenting in middle-aged adults and involving ventral or ventrolateral displacement of the spinal cord. Pediatric cases and posterolateral dural defects are exceedingly uncommon and may be mistaken for dorsal arachnoid cysts or other mass lesions. We report the case of a 14-year-old girl who presented with progressive thoracic myelopathy following two prior thoracic laminectomies for a presumed arachnoid cyst, neither of which identified a dural defect. Repeat imaging revealed a posterior left dural defect at T8 with focal cord herniation and dorsal CSF collection. Definitive surgical repair was performed using intrathecal fluorescein for localization, microsurgical reduction of the herniated cord, and primary dural closure. Postoperative imaging confirmed resolution of the herniation and CSF collection. The patient experienced full neurological recovery. This case highlights the importance of considering ISCH in pediatric patients with atypical thoracic pathology, particularly when dorsal CSF collections are present without a discrete cyst wall. It also demonstrates the utility of intrathecal fluorescein in reoperative localization of small dural defects and supports direct reduction with primary closure as a definitive treatment approach.