Purpose or Case Report: Our objective is to demonstrate the value of imaging exploration of the lumbar spine and sacrococcygeal region in neonates and young children, when certain clinical indications exist.
Methods & Materials: Complicated sacral dimples, pigmented lesions, sacral soft tissue masses and hairy patches indicated detailed exploration of the lumbrosacral spine in neonates, infants and children who were referred to our institution. Additionally, in certain cases spinal findings were incidental.
Ultrasound was the modality of choice in evaluating the neonatal lumbrosacral spine.
MRI on the other hand, is valuable not only in diagnosing spinal dysraphism spectrum in infants and children, but also in presurgical planning.
Results: A variety of anomalies with a range of clinical significance are presented, such as: filum cyst, tethered cord (with low-lying conus medullaris), spinal lipoma (+/- syrinx), lipomyelomeningocele, caudal regression syndrome and diastematomyelia.
Conclusions: Imaging evaluation of the lumbrosacral spine, in the presence of complex skin lesions and findings, usually reveals associated anomalies of the spinal dysraphism spectrum.