The human tail: a benign stigma

Spiegelmann, Roberto; Schinder, Edgardo; Mintz, Mordejai; Blakstein, Alexander

doi:10.3171/jns.1985.63.3.0461

Cited by 41 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…22 Human tails are more rarely described and seem to correspond to the persistence of a caudal vestigium, which normally develops and disappears at the end of the first month of the embryonic phase ( Figure 2C). [23][24][25][26][27] These skin alterations are not well defined by physicians and are mostly treated surgically, for purely aesthetic reasons, without any search for an underlying OSD. By consequence, tails are often not detected before neurologic clinical manifestations.…”

Section: Commentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Skin Markers of Occult Spinal Dysraphism in Children

Guggisberg¹,

Hadj‐Rabia²,

Viney³

et al. 2004

Arch Dermatol

223

151

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To verify the diagnostic value of lumbosacral midline cutaneous lesions in asymptomatic children to detect occult spinal dysraphism (OSD) and to propose a practical approach for clinical investigations with respect to the type of cutaneous lesions observed.Design: Retrospective study of 54 children referred to the Department of Pediatric Dermatology between 1990 and 1999 for congenital midline lumbosacral cutaneous lesions.Setting: The private or institutional practices of participating dermatologists and pediatricians.Main Outcome Measures: Evaluation of the diagnostic value of midline cutaneous lesions for the detec-tion of OSD. Association of skin examination findings with spinal anomalies detected by magnetic resonance imaging or ultrasound.Results: Occult spinal dysraphism was detected in 3 of 36 patients with an isolated congenital midline lesion and 11 of 18 patients with a combination of 2 or more different skin lesions.Conclusions: A combination of 2 or more congenital midline skin lesions is the strongest marker of OSD. Careful dermatologic examination is needed to detect suggestive markers and request a spinal magnetic resonance image, which is the most sensitive radiologic approach to detect an OSD.

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Section: Commentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Skin Markers of Occult Spinal Dysraphism in Children

Guggisberg¹,

Hadj‐Rabia²,

Viney³

et al. 2004

Arch Dermatol

223

151

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…With one exception, all other cases reported with MR or CT myelography imaging have described a direct extension of the tail mass through the fascia and dura into the spinal cord, similar to a lipomyelomeningocele or dermal sinus tract [3, 4, 8, 9, 12, 13]. There have been several other cases published prior to the availability of MR where the authors reported no subfascial extension of the tail [5, 6, 10, 14], but only one other case has been reported with MR imaging, in 1988 by Dubrow et al [2]. In that case there was no spinal lipoma or tethered cord at all.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Human tails have been reported of various lengths (range 1–20 cm) and at various levels of the spine from the lower coccyx to the upper lumbar region [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15]. They may be in the midline or off to one side, and rarely is there a history of family members born with a tail.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Human Tail with Noncontiguous Intraspinal Lipoma and Spinal Cord Tethering:Case Report and Embryologic Discussion

Donovan

Pedersen²

2005

Pediatr Neurosurg

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Children born with a tail-like appendage have a rare malformation that is frequently associated with abnormalities of the spine and spinal cord. A contiguous fibrolipoma is usually seen extending from the subcutaneous portion of the tail into the inferior spinal cord, resulting in tethered cord syndrome. We present the case of a child born with a tail and intraspinal lipoma that were not contiguous with each other, and were separated by an intact layer of lumbosacral fascia. The tail and lipoma were removed and the spinal cord untethered, and the child is neurologically normal 2 years after surgery. The absence of a contiguous lipoma from the tail to the spinal cord suggests that this condition may be principally caused by a disorder of secondary neurulation and/or regression of the normal embryonic tail bud. The embryology of the lower spine is reviewed and possible etiologies discussed.

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“…8,9 An attempt to differentiate 'true tails' from 'taillike structures' has been made 10 and the differentiation seems to be holding anthropological relevance only. Even when 'true tails' have been labeled as benign stigmata, 11 reports continue to ponder a co-existence of 'true tail' and 'tethered cord', questioning the innocence of these 'benign true tails'. 12 Before embarking upon cosmetic correction of any cutaneous tail-like structures, whether 'true or false', an investigation with MRI scan is mandatory, so as to determine the need for operation to prevent neurologic deterioration due to a tethered cord.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The ‘human tail’ causing tethered cervical cord

Mohindra

2006

Spinal Cord

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Study design: Human tails continue to elicit curiosity till the present times. A unique case of human cervical dysraphism is described. Objectives: In addition to the cosmetic stigma, these cutaneous markers provide a lead to reach the underlying spinal dysraphic states. Setting: Plains of North India. Methods: A case of human tail at the neck region is presented, whose cutaneous deformity lead the clinicians to his underlying spinal dysraphic state. Results: The final outcome of the patient was favorable. Conclusion: Such markers should always be looked upon with a caution. The present report describes a unique case of a human neck tail, a causing cervical cord tethering.

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The human tail: a benign stigma

Cited by 41 publications

References 2 publications

Skin Markers of Occult Spinal Dysraphism in Children

Skin Markers of Occult Spinal Dysraphism in Children

Human Tail with Noncontiguous Intraspinal Lipoma and Spinal Cord Tethering:Case Report and Embryologic Discussion

The ‘human tail’ causing tethered cervical cord

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