UC San Diego

KEY CLINICAL MESSAGE: Giant occipital encephalocele is a rare form of congenital anomaly that involves protrusion of brain tissue (greater in size than the patients cranial cavity) from a defect in the skull. This case reports illustrates repair of a giant encephalocele and emphasizes important methods to reduce risk for blood loss and other complications. ABSTRACT: A rare form of congenital anomaly, giant occipital encephalocele involves protrusion of brain tissue from a defect in the skull (in this case from the occiput). While encephalocele itself is a fairly rare entity, those qualifying as giant-defined by size of the deformity exceeding that of the skull itself - require very technically challenging surgery.