Lumbar pseudo-tail associated with dermal sinus - A case report.

BACKGROUND

Lumbosacral and coccygeal skin covered appendages are a rare malformation, considered human-tails.

CASE REPORT: The authors describe the case of a full term newborn girl with lumbar skin appendage and a normal neurologic examination. The magnetic resonance of the spine revealed a dermal sinus continuous with the skin appendage and with extension into to the spinal canal. Due to the infection risk, a surgery was performed on the third day of life, with dermal sinus ligation and appendage removal. At 12 months of follow-up the girl has a normal neurologic examination.

CONCLUSIONS

With the description of this case the authors aim to emphasize that although rare, lumbar skin appendages can be associated with spinal dysraphism and other lesions, requiring extensive work-up and long-term surveillance.