Caudal appendage in a full-term infant

[A rare case of caudal appendage]

Caudal appendage is a rare malformation which has since ever been interesting. We present the case of a girl in which a caudal appendage was discovered before birth. A throughout checking found an extension from this abnormality to the cordal spine. The baby is operated when 2months old. Differential diagnosis are spina bifida, teratoma and pilonidal sinus. Caudal appendage is one of the typical cutaneous finding with underlying spinal dysraphism, such as hair tuft or pigmented macule. The risk is a tethered cord syndrome that can lead to severe complication. The treatment is either surgery or expectation.

A prospective study of cutaneous manifestations of spinal dysraphism from India

Recognition of cutaneous markers of spinal dysraphism is important to prevent the morbidity associated with underlying spinal anomalies. To investigate the frequency and type of cutaneous stigmata in different forms of spinal dysraphism and to assess the role of ultrasonography and/or magnetic resonance imaging in diagnosing spinal dysraphism at two pediatric dermatology tertiary care centers. Over a 4-year period, all pediatric patients presenting to the dermatology clinic with dorsal midline cutaneous stigmata were evaluated clinically and with imaging studies (radiography, ultrasonographic examination and magnetic resonance imaging/Doppler). Surgical interventions were planned in conjunction with neurosurgery and orthopedic specialists. On examination, 245 (4.2%) had 285 cutaneous stigmata. Of the 180 patients evaluated with radiography, ultrasonographic examination and magnetic resonance imaging, 50 patients (28%) had spinal dysraphism (with 64 cutaneous stigmata). The most common stigmata associated with occult spinal dysraphism were lipoma (10) and dimples (12) and in open spinal dysraphism lipomeningomyelocoele (10) and meningomyelocoele (10). Statistically, lipomeningomyelocoele/myelomeningocoele, atypical dimples and port-wine stains were most associated with spinal dysraphism (p < 0.001). In 80 children less than 6 months of age, radiography with ultrasonographic examination revealed an SD in 16, while magnetic resonance imaging was diagnostic in four cases. Ultrasonographic examination performed fairly well in children less than 6 months and in cases of flat cutaneous stigmata it missed only 5% of cases, but in cases with bulky overlying masses (lipoma, hemangioma) it missed 15% of cases.