Background: Meningocele or meningocephalocele is a rare defect, which consists in the displacement of the structures of the brain or/and meninges through a congenital cavity in the cranium. Depending on the location, there are hernias of the skull vault and base or external and internal hernias. Some of them can cause breathing disorders in children.
Case report: We described a case of an eutrophic, full-term newborn boy with breathing disorders. A laryngological examination found a tumor of the left nasal meatus, from which a sample was collected for histopathological study. Due to a cyst revealed under the lesion and pulsation of the tumor, it was decided to include imaging examinations into the diagnostic process. Computed tomography (CT) showed a mass of meningocele type, which was confirmed in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
Results: In case of breathing disorders and a suspected mass in the nasal meatus in a newborn, a congenital meningocele or menigocephalocele should be assumed. This constitutes a contraindication to sampling of the lesion, without prior imaging tests (CT and/or MRI).
Keywords: CT; MRI; congenital intranasal meningocele; newborn.