Human tail: A benign condition hidden out of social stigma and shame in young adult – A case report and review

Giri, Pramod Janardan; Chavan, Vaibhav Sharadrao

doi:10.4103/ajns.ajns_209_17

Cited by 10 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…The human tail has been characterized in reports from Harrison, Dao et al, and Lin et al, although no clear definition has been established [ 8 – 10 ]. Apart from our case, the human tail is typically covered with normal skin and associated with tunica dartos [ 11 ]. We ultimately diagnosed an accessory scrotum in our case.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A case of dumbbell-shaped accessory scrotum with concomitant lipoma

Ibuka,

Saka,

Sonobe

et al. 2024

surg case rep

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Background Accessory scrotum is a congenital scrotal anomaly that is usually located anterior to the anus and frequently presents with a lipoma in a bead-like shape. Herein, we present an unusual case of an accessory scrotum with a lipoma connected by a narrow stalk and located posterior to the anus. Case presentation A 1-month-old boy was referred to our hospital for a perineal mass present at birth. He was born at 37 weeks and 2 days, with a birth weight of 2962 g. No abnormalities occurred during the perinatal period, and the birth was uneventful. The mass had an unusual shape, comprising two masses connected by a narrow stalk. The base of the mass was posterior to the anus and was connected to the rectal mucosa. The proximal mass was elastic and soft without skinfolds, whereas the distal mass was elastic and soft with a scrotum-like skinfolds. Magnetic resonance imaging showed no spina bifida. High-intensity adipose tissues in both masses and low-intensity vessels or fibrous stroma in cord-like structures between the two masses were found on T2-weighted images. At 3 months of age, the patient underwent resection in the prone jackknife position. No tumorous lesions were connected to the mass on the rectal and coccyx sides, and the mass was completely removed, preserving the anal sphincter. Histologically, the distal mass had characteristics of a scrotum, whereas the proximal mass was exclusively a lipoma. The connecting stalk had normal skin structures and a blood vessel with parallel-running nerve bundles. The postoperative course was uneventful, and the patient was discharged on postoperative day 6. Conclusions This case of accessory scrotum was unusual in its location and the presence of a stalk connecting the accessory scrotum and lipoma. The mechanism underlying accessory scrotum development remains unclear, and our report may impact the discourse regarding the embryological development of the accessory scrotum.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A case of dumbbell-shaped accessory scrotum with concomitant lipoma

Ibuka,

Saka,

Sonobe

et al. 2024

surg case rep

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“…Treatment for human tails should be done with surgical resection of this appendix, based on clinical and radiological examinations, [2] , [11] , [16] , [17] . Our patient was operated on with simple excision of the tail and primary closure of the wound at the base.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A human tail arising from the anal mucocutaneous junction: A case report

Ibrahim

Maher

Fouad

et al. 2021

International Journal of Surgery Case Reports

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Introduction Human tails are rare congenital malformations that describe protrusions commonly located around the midline of the lumbosacral region covered by skin, representing an embryonic remnant. Human tails are broadly classified into true and pseudo-tails. The real ones represent the persistence of a remnant of the embryonic tail formed between the fourth and eighth week of gestation. Presentation A male infant aged 42 days presented to our institution with a tail-like structure that originated from the anal mucocutaneos junction. The parents did not bring the baby at birth because of the social stigma and ignorance. On examination, there was a tail-like structure that is about 22 cm in length and 1.5 cm in diameter originated from the mucocutaneous junction at the anus at the left side. There was no bony element on palpation. The lower vertebral column examination showed no abnormalities, and this was confirmed with an x-ray. The patient was operated on with simple excision of the tail and primary closure of the wound at the base. He was discharged on the same day well and good. The tail was taken for microscopic histopathology. Discussion There are few reported cases describing human tails. However, none of them was originating from the anal mucocutaneous junction. Conclusion We report the first case of a human tail arising from the anal mucocutaneous junction worldwide. Due to its very superficial origin, it was not associated with any other anomalies.

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