Most sacral dimples are harmless and don’t require any treatment. Sacral dimples that are accompanied by a nearby tuft of hair, skin tag or certain types of skin discoloration are sometimes associated with a serious underlying abnormality of the spine or spinal cord.
What does a sacral dimple indicate?
A sacral dimple is a small indentation (dent) in the lower back, near the crease of the buttocks. It is a congenital condition, meaning it is there when the baby is born. Most sacral dimples do not cause any health issues. In some cases, a sacral dimple can be a sign of an underlying spinal problem.
What does a sacral dimple look like?
A sacral dimple will appear as a small dimple or pit in the lower back. It is usually very shallow, and the bottom can be seen easily. A sacral dimple may be located in the crease between the buttocks. However, some attributes can signal further defects, and they will need to be examined with an ultrasound.
What kind of ultrasound do you order for a sacral dimple?
Spine ultrasonography (USG) is an effective and safe screening tool for patients with a sacral dimple.
When is spina bifida diagnosed?
Fetal ultrasound is the most accurate method to diagnose spina bifida in your baby before delivery. Ultrasound can be performed during the first trimester (11 to 14 weeks) and second trimester (18 to 22 weeks). Spina bifida can be accurately diagnosed during the second trimester ultrasound scan.
When is a sacral ultrasound needed?
Normal image of the sacrum and coccyx in a sagittal plane. A spinal ultrasound examination should take place within the first three months of life. It is possible to scan the spine after three months of age but due to the ossification of the spinal processes it becomes much more difficult to image the spinal cord 1 .
When should you get a sacral dimple ultrasound?
Note: Spinal ultrasound is ideal in patients ≤ 8 weeks old. Spinal ultrasound may be feasible in patients up to 4 months old.
Are sacral dimples genetic?
A sacral dimple may be associated with several hereditary disorders, including Bloom; Smith-Lemli-Opitz; and 4p, or Wolf-Hirschhorn, syndromes.
Can a 12 week scan detect spina bifida?
Spina bifida is often detected during the mid-pregnancy anomaly scan, which is offered to all pregnant women between 18 and 21 weeks of pregnancy. If tests confirm that your baby has spina bifida, the implications will be discussed with you.
What does a skin tag in the sacral area indicate?
Skin tags in the sacral area are also potential indicators of spinal dysraphism. In some cases, the “tag” may in actuality be a residual tail. This skin tag was quite small and appeared to be very superficial, but spinal ultrasound was still done as a screening measure. In this case, the ultrasound was normal…
When is a screening ultrasound indicated in the workup of sacral dimple?
Current data 3) shows that a screening ultrasound is appropriate only when other signs/lesions are found along with a sacral dimple. Further studies including MRI are required to further stratify other cutaneous findings and their association with underlying occult spinal dysraphism.
What does it mean when a child has Sacral dimples?
Sacral dimples that are accompanied by a nearby tuft of hair, skin tag or certain types of skin discoloration are sometimes associated with a serious underlying abnormality of the spine or spinal cord. In these instances, your child’s doctor may recommend an imaging test.
Can a skin tag be a sign of dysraphism?
Sacral Skin Tag. Skin tags in the sacral area are also potential indicators of spinal dysraphism. In some cases, the “tag” may in actuality be a residual tail. This skin tag was quite small and appeared to be very superficial, but spinal ultrasound was still done as a screening measure.
