FAUN TAIL NEVUS - A CUTANEOUS MARKER OF SPINAL DYSRAPHISM

Abstract : Faun tail nevus is a posterior midline cutaneous lesion that is a marker for its underlying spine and spinal cord anomaly. Spinal dysraphism is a generic term describing pathologic conditions related to improper closure of the caudal neuropore. It encompasses all the conditions associated with spina bifida. We report a series of four cases with faun tail nevus who presented to our OPD over a period of 2 years.All the four cases presented with complaints of excessive hair growth in the lumbosacral region since birth. one of the four patients had neurological manifestations like difficulty in walking and weakness of the muscles of the lower limbs with mild mental retardation. Radiological evaluation revealed spinal abnormalities. Among the remaining three patients who had no neurological manifestations, MRI of the spine showed spinal dysraphism in two cases and one case did not have any spinal abnormality. Keyword :Faun tail nevus, spinal dysraphism