Rare diseases · Sign or symptom
Occipital encephalocele
Brain tissue sticks out through back of skull
HP:0002085
What it means
A type of encephalocele (that is, a a protrusion of part of the cranial contents including brain tissue through a congenital opening in the cranium, typically covered with skin or mucous membrane) in the occipital region of the skull. Occipital encephalocele presents as a midline swelling over the occipital bone. It is usually covered with normal full-thickness scalp.
Rare diseases that can present with this10
Common30–79%
2Sometimes5–29%
5The range is how often this sign appears among people diagnosed with each disease — it is not a probability of having any of them. Many of these signs also occur in common, non-rare conditions. A sign on this page is a conversation to have with a clinician, not a conclusion.
Part of the broader category
Also called: Occipital meningoencephalocele · Posterior encephalocele
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Start free with EleplanThis page uses the Human Phenotype Ontology (2026-06-23) — Human Phenotype Ontology Consortium, hpo.jax.org. Disease associations from Orphanet (INSERM), CC BY 4.0. Content is educational and is not medical advice.