Occult Spinal Dysraphism and Cutaneous Stigmata: When to Worry

Investigators from the University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea, conducted a meta-analysis to estimate the incidence of occult spinal dysraphism (OSD) and rate of neurosurgical intervention among neonates and infants with cutaneous stigmata. They reviewed published studies in a systematic manner and had the following requirements for inclusion: studies of neonates or infants with cutaneous lesions who underwent spinal sonography, studies that included ≥ 10 participants, and studies that provided an estimate of incidence of OSD. For the included studies, the types of cutaneous stigmata were classified as low risk (simple dimple or deviated gluteal fold), intermediate risk (vascular discoloration), or high risk (atypical dimple, hypertrichosis, pedunculated skin tag, fibroma pendulum, or midline …