Unusual Presentations of Middle Fossa Encephaloceles: Report of Two Case

Abstract

Basal encephaloceles are rare occurrences with occult and often varied presentations. Frequently, the need for surgical treatment is not clear to the patient or the physician, leading to potentially fatal complications. We report the case of a 44-year-old woman with an 8-year history of nonspecific complaints who presented to us with trigeminal neuralgia. Also, an unsual case is presented of a 60-year-old man with bilateral middle fossa encephaloceles who suffered acutely from widespread pneumocephalus acting as a mess lesion. Both are cases of nontraomatic middle fossa encephaloceles, which are of perficular interest due to the age of the patients, their atypical presentations, and the asseciated complications.