Sonographic recognition of postoperative meningocele.

A 59-year-old woman was seen 3 months after laminectomy at L3-L5 and diskectomy at L3-L4 for central herniated disk. She had occipital headaches exacerbated by coughing and low back pain radiating to the right leg. On examination a small , nontender, fluctuant mass was noted lateral to the laminectomy incision. Sonography showed a multilocular cyst at the L3 level with a large, deeper component (4.2 x 3.8 x 5 cm), apparently communicating with a small , superficial locule (2.5 x 1.5 x 2.5 cm) and a third separate, superficial cyst (2 .2 x 1.5 x 2.2 cm) about one interspace higher (figs. 1 A and 1 B) . The largest cyst was demonstrated on computed tomography (CT) (fig. 1 C). Metrizamide myelography and CT studies failed to show any communication between the cyst and the thecal sac. At surgery , a small fistulous communication between the two small, superficial