MR Imaging Characteristics of Cervical Neurenteric Cysts: Two Case Reports

Neurenteric cysts are rare causes of spinal cord compression in infants and children. These congenital lesions arise from abnormal separation of the endoderm and neuroectoderm during embryogenesis. A diagnosis of neurenteric cysts prior to surgery is difficult. Herein, the authors report on 2 cases with neurenteric cysts. The preoperative MR images of both cases showed cystic lesions with low signal intensity on T1-weighted images and high signal intensity on T2-weighted images, just like the intensity pattern of cerebrospinal fluid. One was intradural extramedullary and the other was intramedullary in location. The literature is also reviewed.