Human Tail in a New Born: A Case Report.
Human tails are classified as true tail and pseudo tail. True tails, also known as vestigial tails are caudal, midline protrusion capable of spontaneous or reflex motion, consisting of skin covering with a combination of striated muscle, adipose and connective tissue, normal blood
vessels and nerves.
Human tails are rare congenital anomalies protruding from midline of the lumbosacral region covered by skin.1,2 The birth of a baby with a tail can cause psychological disturbance to the parents and, in some cases, a feeling of stigma and shame.
True tails, also known as vestigial tails are caudal, midline protrusion capable of spontaneous or reflex motion, consisting of skin covering with a combination of striated muscle, adipose and connective tissue, normal blood vessels and nerves. Pseudo tail is a secondary protrusion caused by various anomalies or neoplasms such as, anomalous prolongations of coccygeal vertebrae, occult
spinal dysraphism, lipoma, teratoma, a parasitic fetus, fibro lipoma.4-6 Unlike the tail of other vertebrates, human tails do not contain vertebral structures.
The tail-like structure was 9 cm in length, with a diameter between 3 cm and 2 cm in all its length, cylindrical, and pointy towards the end. The structure was soft, covered in skin, and shows spontaneous movement.
Pseudo tails are lumbosacral protrusion with superficial resemblance to true tails. They present as anomalous extension of the coccygeal vertebrae elongation teratomatous elements, adipose
tissue, cartilage and as associated with additional lesions such as lipoma, teratoma chondrodystrophy or parasitic fetus.
This is a rare case of vestigial human tail with spinal bifida on 47-days-old-female infant born from prime parous mother through spontaneous vaginal delivery. Before surgical management, imaging is necessary to rule out underlying anomalies followed by histopathologic.
Pediatr Neonatal Nurs Open J. 2022; 8(2): 48-50. doi: 10.17140/PNNOJ-8-139
