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.