The Human Tail Associated with Intraspinal Lipoma: Case Report

Gönül, Engin; İzci, Yusuf; Öngürü, Önder; Tımurkaynak, Erdener; Seber, Naci

doi:10.1055/s-2000-14510

Cited by 9 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 10 publications

(15 reference statements)

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“…Many authors have reported that a human tail is an infrequent cause of a tethered cord, and in the literature, there are 18 case reports [27,28,29,30,31,32]. Certainly, it is known that a dorsal cutaneous appendage (called a human tail) is often considered to be a skin marker of underlying spinal dysraphism.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Correlation of Cutaneous Lesions with Clinical Radiological and Urodynamic Findings in the Prognosis of Underlying Spinal Dysraphism Disorders

Sasani

Asghari²,

Asghari

et al. 2008

Pediatr Neurosurg

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Spinal dysraphism is characterized by a lack of fusion of the vertebral arches that occurs in the absence of spinous processes with variable amounts of lamina. Here, we retrospectively present the importance of cutaneous lesions and their correlation with clinical presentation, radiological examination and urodynamic assessment. We retrospectively reviewed 612 (6.12%) cases with skin lesions from 10,000 consecutive live-born children seen at two institutions between January 1998 and March 2005. We divided all children into a control group and three groups based on clinical assessment, radiological examination and urodynamic evaluation results. Neurological deficits were identified in 113 (18.46%) children, while spinal dysraphism disorders, tethered cord syndrome and associated orthopedic malformations were found in 171 (27.94%), 119 (19.45%) and 28 (4.57%) patients, respectively. The incidence of tethered cord with lumbosacral dimple lesions over the sacrum (32/119, 26.65% of patients) was 3.5-fold higher than that of lesions found over the coccyx (9/119, 7.5% of patients). Uroneurological symptoms were found in 207/612 (33.82%) children. Urodynamic assessment revealed decreased bladder capacity in 10% of patients, detrusor hyperflexia during filling in 47% and a low-compliance detrusor in 71%. Discordance between ultra- sonography and MRI was found in 16.58% of patients. Spinal cord untethering was performed for 109 patients. Nearly all children with resolution were at the end of their follow-up period (24 months). Retethering occurred in 21 (19.26%) patients, and a second untethering surgery was performed in 12 patients. When spina bifida was associated with lumbar skin lesions, there may have been an increased incidence of tethered cord and other spinal cord disorders. MRI scans are more reliable and give an exact diagnosis of tethered cord. Neurological and uroneurological instability are ultimately a clinical diagnosis, and there is controversy about their indications for surgery. However, the correlation between urodynamic assessment and cutaneous lesions with a tethered cord found by MRI examination allow for an early diagnosis and the possibility of prompt treatment.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Correlation of Cutaneous Lesions with Clinical Radiological and Urodynamic Findings in the Prognosis of Underlying Spinal Dysraphism Disorders

Sasani

Asghari²,

Asghari

et al. 2008

Pediatr Neurosurg

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“…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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“…The histological report was similar to those in other studies, adipose tissue being the major component of the tail (Spiegelmann et al, ). Gönül et al () reported the case of a tailed baby with spina bifida and intraspinal lipoma that projected from the tail into the spinal canal. A lipoma was also found by Lu et al () and was associated with both spina bifida and tethered spinal cord in a tailed female infant.…”

Section: Classification Of Tailsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Enigmatic human tails: A review of their history, embryology, classification, and clinical manifestations

et al. 2016

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The presence of a human tail is a rare and intriguing phenomenon. While cases have been reported in the literature, confusion remains with respect to the proper classification, definition, and treatment methods. We review the literature concerning this anatomical derailment. We also consider the importance of excluding underlying congenital anomalies in these patients to prevent neurological deficits and other abnormal manifestations.

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The Human Tail Associated with Intraspinal Lipoma: Case Report

Cited by 9 publications

References 10 publications

Correlation of Cutaneous Lesions with Clinical Radiological and Urodynamic Findings in the Prognosis of Underlying Spinal Dysraphism Disorders

Correlation of Cutaneous Lesions with Clinical Radiological and Urodynamic Findings in the Prognosis of Underlying Spinal Dysraphism Disorders

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

Enigmatic human tails: A review of their history, embryology, classification, and clinical manifestations

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