Background Tarlov cysts are a commonly misdiagnosed condition, which can present with many rare symptoms. We report a case of a Tarlov cyst with spermatorrhea and review the pertinent literature. Case presentation A 42-year-old male patient had a history of spermatorrhea for > 10 years, but was incorrectly diagnosed as the patient and the doctors consistently mistook the symptoms for a genitourinary disease. Magnetic resonance imaging showed that two cysts in the sacral canal. The diagnosis was Tarlov cyst. We performed surgery to remove the cyst and the symptoms of spermatorrhea disappeared after the operation. Conclusions This case demonstrates that orthopedics and urologists should improve their understanding of Tarlov cysts to avoid misdiagnosis and mistreatment.

Background: Tarlov cysts are a commonly misdiagnosed condition, which can present with many rare symptoms. We report a case of a tarlov cyst with spermatorrhea, and review the pertinent literature.Case presentation: A 42-year-old male patient had a history of spermatorrhea for >10 years, but was incorrectly diagnosed as the patient and the doctors consistently mistook the symptoms for a genitourinary disease. Magnetic resonance imaging showed that two cysts in the sacral canal. The diagnosis was tarlov cyst. We performed surgery to remove the cyst and the symptoms of spermatorrhea disappeared after operation.Conclusions: This case demonstrates that orthopedics and urologists should improve their understanding of tarlov cysts in order to avoid misdiagnosis and mistreatment.

Background: Deep neck space infection is a disease that is often misdiagnosed and may have many rare symptoms. We report a case of upper cervical infection with headache as the primary manifestation and review the relevant literature.Case presentation: A 76-year-old male patient had a recurrent headache for more than one year but was misdiagnosed as cerebrovascular disease. Cervical magnetic resonance imaging showed an abnormal signal of the cervical spine with surrounding tissue edema. A deep neck space infection was diagnosed. We had debridement, and the headache disappeared.Conclusions: This case shows that orthopedics and cardiovascular doctors should improve their understanding of deep neck space infection and avoid misdiagnosis.