ABSTRACT
We report on a newborn in whom an echogenic protrusion arising in the caudal region was detected at 12 weeks' gestation. Subsequent ultrasound examinations at weeks 15 and 22 failed to demonstrate this finding. After birth, the infant was found to have a pilonidal sinus. The pilonidal sinus may represent a remnant of the embryonic appendage ('human tail') that usually disappears by the end of the 8th week of gestation. This case might support the theory of congenital pilonidal sinus origin.
Subject(s)
Embryonic Structures/diagnostic imaging , Pilonidal Sinus/diagnostic imaging , Sacrococcygeal Region/diagnostic imaging , Ultrasonography, Prenatal , Adult , Embryonic Structures/abnormalities , Female , Gestational Age , Humans , Infant, Newborn , Pilonidal Sinus/embryology , Pregnancy , Sacrococcygeal Region/abnormalitiesSubject(s)
Pilonidal Sinus/surgery , Adolescent , Adult , Female , Humans , Male , Methods , Middle Aged , Pilonidal Sinus/embryology , RecurrenceSubject(s)
Pilonidal Sinus/etiology , Female , Humans , Male , Pilonidal Sinus/embryology , Sacrococcygeal RegionABSTRACT
Nineteen-hundred and ninety-seven consecutive term newborn infants were examined for cutaneous abnormalities of the craniospinal axis. Fifty-eight of the neonates (3%) had one or more abnormalities. The major findings included 28 (1.4%) deep dimples; 23 (1.2%) presumed sinuses; six (0.3%) skin tags,and one nodular mass. Fifty children were seen in follow-up at 4 to 12 months; in 40 infants the initial major finding persisted unchanged. Surgery has been performed on five children. One dermal sinus was found to terminate at the dura, three sinuses terminated at the coccyx, and a skin tag was associated with a fibrous band that extended to the coccyx. The management of congenital dermal sinuses is discussed.
