Abstract
Tailgut cysts are uncommon lesions that usually occur within the presacral space.
The relative rarity and nonspecific complaints associated with these lesions often
lead to misdiagnosis or unnecessary procedures before the correct diagnosis is made.
We describe a case of a 16-year-old female who presented with pelvic pain. She had
previously undergone several procedures at an outside institution for recurrent perianal
fistula and perirectal abscess. Subsequent evaluation under anesthesia revealed a
presacral cystic mass with a well-developed tract within the anorectal ring in the
posterior midline. This mass was surgically removed using a combined transanal and
posterior sagittal excision technique and was found to be a tailgut cyst upon pathologic
evaluation. Tailgut cysts and other presacral masses should be included in the differential
for patients with recurrent abscess in the presacral space or fistula within the anal
canal. A variety of surgical approaches are available depending on the anatomy of
the lesion.
Key words
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Article info
Publication history
Accepted:
December 8,
2012
Received in revised form:
December 5,
2012
Received:
September 7,
2012
Footnotes
☆Disclaimer: There are no conflicts of interest to be disclosed by the authors, including financial, consultant, or institutional. No funding was received in the preparation of this work.
Identification
Copyright
© 2013 Elsevier Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
