Dorsal dermal sinus
Updates to Article Attributes
A dorsalDorsal dermal sinus (DDS) is an epithelium-lined tract from the skin to the spinal cord, cauda equina, or arachnoid.
Pathology
Dorsal dermal sinus is caused by incomplete separation of the superficial ectoderm from the neural ectoderm, resulting in a focal segmental adhesion.
Later during embryogenesis, the spinal cord ascends relative to the spinal canal and stretches the adhesion into a long, tubular tract.
Dorsal dermal sinus manifests as a small dimple or pinpoint ostium, which is often associated with an area of hyperpigmented, angiomatous skin or hypertrichosis and occurs in a midline location or rarely in a paramedian location.
Soft-tissue asymmetry and bone anomalies are common findings.
Location
Predominantly located in the lumbosacral region and less often in the occipital region.
Associations
Dorsal dermal sinus occurring in a paramedian location is often associated with an intraspinal dermoid or epidermoid, which causes compression of neural structures with neurologic symptoms.
Radiographic features
Ultrasound
- ultrasound can show the entire length of the tract from the skin to the spinal cord.
- the tract can be difficult to identify within the subcutaneous fat.
- the tract is clearly demonstrated in the anechoic, cerebrospinal fluid–filled subarachnoid space as an echogenic structure.
Complications
Typical complications are infections such as recurrent meningitis meningitis, epidural or subdural epidural or subdural abscess, and intramedullary spinal cord abscess.
-<p>A <strong>dorsal dermal sinus (DDS)</strong> is an epithelium-lined tract from the skin to the spinal cord, cauda equina, or arachnoid.</p><h4>Pathology</h4><p>Dorsal dermal sinus is caused by incomplete separation of the superficial ectoderm from the neural ectoderm, resulting in a focal segmental adhesion.</p><p>Later during embryogenesis, the spinal cord ascends relative to the spinal canal and stretches the adhesion into a long, tubular tract.</p><p>Dorsal dermal sinus manifests as a small dimple or pinpoint ostium, which is often associated with an area of hyperpigmented, angiomatous skin or hypertrichosis and occurs in a midline location or rarely in a paramedian location.</p><p>Soft-tissue asymmetry and bone anomalies are common findings.</p><h5>Location</h5><p>Predominantly located in the lumbosacral region and less often in the occipital region.</p><h5>Associations</h5><p>Dorsal dermal sinus occurring in a paramedian location is often associated with an <a href="/articles/intraspinal-dermoid" title="intraspinal dermoid">intraspinal dermoid</a> or <a href="/articles/intracranial-epidermoid-cyst" title="CNS epidermoid cyst">epidermoid</a>, which causes compression of neural structures with neurologic symptoms.</p><h4>Radiographic features</h4><h5>Ultrasound</h5><ul style="line-height: 1.5em; list-style-type: square; margin-top: 0.3em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 1.5em; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; list-style-image: url(http://www.radswiki.net/main/skins/monobook/bullet.gif); ">- +<p><strong>Dorsal dermal sinus (DDS)</strong> is an epithelium-lined tract from the skin to the spinal cord, cauda equina, or arachnoid.</p><h4>Pathology</h4><p>Dorsal dermal sinus is caused by incomplete separation of the superficial ectoderm from the neural ectoderm, resulting in a focal segmental adhesion.</p><p>Later during embryogenesis, the spinal cord ascends relative to the spinal canal and stretches the adhesion into a long, tubular tract.</p><p>Dorsal dermal sinus manifests as a small dimple or pinpoint ostium, which is often associated with an area of hyperpigmented, angiomatous skin or hypertrichosis and occurs in a midline location or rarely in a paramedian location.</p><p>Soft-tissue asymmetry and bone anomalies are common findings.</p><h5>Location</h5><p>Predominantly located in the lumbosacral region and less often in the occipital region.</p><h5>Associations</h5><p>Dorsal dermal sinus occurring in a paramedian location is often associated with an <a href="/articles/intraspinal-dermoid">intraspinal dermoid</a> or <a href="/articles/intracranial-epidermoid-cyst">epidermoid</a>, which causes compression of neural structures with neurologic symptoms.</p><h4>Radiographic features</h4><h5>Ultrasound</h5><ul>
-<li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em; ">the tract can be difficult to identify within the subcutaneous fat.</li>-<li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em; ">the tract is clearly demonstrated in the anechoic, cerebrospinal fluid–filled subarachnoid space as an echogenic structure.</li>-</ul><h4>Complications</h4><p>Typical complications are infections such as recurrent meningitis, epidural or subdural abscess, and intramedullary spinal cord abscess.</p>- +<li>the tract can be difficult to identify within the subcutaneous fat.</li>
- +<li>the tract is clearly demonstrated in the anechoic, cerebrospinal fluid–filled subarachnoid space as an echogenic structure.</li>
- +</ul><h4>Complications</h4><p>Typical complications are infections such as recurrent meningitis, epidural or subdural abscess, and intramedullary spinal cord abscess.</p>
Systems changed:
- Spine
Image ( update )
Image 3 CT (bone window) ( update )
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