Progression of Spinal Dermal Sinus Tracts to Intraspinal Abscess: A Single Center Experience

Abstract

Introduction: Dermal sinus tract (DSTs) is a midline lesion between skin and deep tissues. They are crucial to be early di- agnosed before leading to severe complications. In this paper, we report 5 spinal (DSTs) cases that were lead to intradural/ intramedullary abscess formations because of late diagnose or late admission to hospital. Methods: The patients with spinal (DSTs) who were operated in the authors’ department between January 2010 to Septem- ber 2019 were investigated from medical records. Results: Five patients diagnosed with intradural/intramedullary abscess due to spinal (DSTs) were found. It is understood that all abscess formations were complications of undiagnosed and missed spinal (DSTs). Discussion and Conclusion: (DSTs) is one of the important pathologies that pediatricians and neurosurgeons should pay attention to. Missing or delay in diagnosis can lead to irreversible deficits.