Torsion of a congenital human tail in a Japanese Infant: A case report

TL;DR

A Japanese infant had a congenital tail that twisted, causing a medical emergency and highlighting the need for early surgery.

Contribution

The case demonstrates torsion as a potential complication and advocates for early surgical intervention.

Findings

Torsion of the congenital tail caused vascular compromise requiring emergency surgery.

Early surgical intervention is recommended after confirming no spinal cord involvement.

The postoperative recovery was successful with no complications.

Abstract

The optimal timing of surgical intervention for a human tail remains unclear. We report a 2-month-old male infant with a tail-like structure in the sacral region, lacking continuity with the spinal cord. Although elective surgery was scheduled at 3 months of age, vascular compromise due to torsion developed on postnatal day 60, requiring emergency excision under local anesthesia. The postoperative course was uneventful, with preserved limb function and no complications at follow-up. This rare case highlights torsion as a potential complication and supports early surgical intervention, even during the neonatal period, once imaging confirms the absence of spinal cord involvement and spinal dysraphism, particularly in cases with a constricted base.

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