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Posterior resection and fusion of a lumbosacral hemivertebra in a case of dipygus

  • Orthopaedic Surgery
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Abstract

Dipygus or pygomelia is an incomplete form of twinning due to the incomplete division of the embryonic disc. This extremely rare condition consists in the presence of an accessory limb that generally inserts into the buttock or perineum. Associated anomalies such as duplication of the genitourinary or the intestinal tract are frequent, and recurrently appear associated with spinal anomalies such as congenital scoliosis due to hemivertebra. We present our experience with a 20-year-old girl, the first and only case of dipygus recorded and treated in Switzerland, who came to us complaining of increasing low back pain along with a progressive congenital scoliosis due to the presence of a hemivertebra between L5 and S1, which was removed in a single stage exclusively through a posterior approach.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Spine Unit, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Hospital Universitari Germans Trias i Pujol, Crta Canyet s/n, Badalona, 08916, Spain

    Jose M. Cavanilles-Walker

  2. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Asklepios Klinik Altona, Paul-Ehrlich-Str. 1, 22763, Hamburg, Germany

    Markus W. Kröber

Authors
  1. Jose M. Cavanilles-Walker
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  2. Markus W. Kröber
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Correspondence to Jose M. Cavanilles-Walker.

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Cavanilles-Walker, J.M., Kröber, M.W. Posterior resection and fusion of a lumbosacral hemivertebra in a case of dipygus. Arch Orthop Trauma Surg 134, 773–775 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00402-014-1987-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00402-014-1987-7

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