2020/04/22 by Sayaka Tojima, Shigehito Yamada · 2 citations
Medicine · #Congenital gastrointestinal and neural anomalies #Pelvic floor disorders treatments #Urological Disorders and Treatments
paper · doi:10.1002/ca.23609
openalex publication_date 2020/04/22 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/30
INTRODUCTION: Numerous case reports have indicated that the "human tail" is not always a harmless protrusion but can be associated with anomalies such as occult dysraphic malformations. However, the definition and classification of this anomaly have not been discussed. A prevailing hypothesis is that the "human tail" is a residual embryonic tail. Herein, we attempted to classify and define the human tail and investigate the frequency of this anomaly. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We first defined the human tail as a protrusion on the dorsal side of the lumbar, sacrococcygeal, and para-anal regions identified after birth. We collected case reports written in English, Japanese, French, German, and Italian that were published from the 1880s to the present. RESULTS: We discovered two important findings: (a) the cause of this anomaly may differ even though the "tails" resemble each other closely in appearance and (b) its position tends to be correlated with the type of anomaly and its associated cause. We propose a new classification of the human tail based on these findings. CONCLUSION: Our classification may facilitate more accurate treatment and precise case descriptions of the human tail.