Sacral Dimple

I know why there is a reason why I hate child and youth health LOL.

today they came to see Ashton and he has what I think is a sacral dimple above his anus in the crease. She saw it and said "oh he has a dimple" and then she said "oh that is okay I can see the bottom of it" then it had me thinking. Lachlan has one of those that you can't see the bottom off as I remember when he was born I seriously thought he had two bum holes :eek:

Anyway so it has been playing on my mind all day and I know I shouldn't net surf but most sites say ones that you can't see the bottom of are cause for concern, so it is now 6pm and I have just booked him in to see our family GP for tonight to hopefully put my mind at ease.

Does anyone else's child have a sacral dimple that has needed further investigation??

Love

Sorry, hun, haven't even heard of it - hope everything goes okay tonight.

*hugs to you*

I have seen a few of them, Erin sort of has an indentation, but hardly what the MCHN is talking about. I didn't even realised they posed a problem. I hope your GP can give you some better info about it Kathryn.

okay I sort of didnt really understand what our family GP was saying all too technical for me but we have a referral for lachlan to have an u/sound and his clinical notes say

Has Sacral pint/sinus, cannot see bottom of it. ?stigmata for underlying spina bifida occulta, ?depth of sacal sinus, appears attached to tip of coccyx, no family history of spina bifida

So in other words it could be a mark to indicate spina bifida occulta which apparently 1 in 20 ppl have but not everyone is aware of it, and he also wants to check to see how deep it goes.

So now tomorrow I have to book him in for an u/sound.

Love

Oh Kat, what a worry for you, I really hope it all turns out to be fine at the scan.

I have had a quick read up on it, and it says that it may be as common as up to 22% of people (according the results of a study conducted in the 80's), with the most common symptom being a very slight risk increase of a slipped disc.
It does say that in about 2% of these people there can be more complications associated, and it comes under a new classification 'occult spinal dysraphism' (OSD).

I think there's a really high chance that it hasn't/wont affect him at all?...

*hugs*

Sounds like you and I have been reading the same page Ambah ;) Yeah the doctor said he doesn't expect anything to come of it we just have to make sure it is kept really clean as infection is our biggest risk, and that Lachlan as he gets older is fully aware to keep it clean as well.

It was totally up to me if I wanted the u/sound done or not, but I said we might as well cause at least then there is an "official" record about it in case of anything complications later on down the track. Poor Lachlan it is always him with an issue LOL

Love

Kathryn i hope everything goes well with Lachlan's ultrasound.

I remember when Xander had his ped check up they said something about a dimple being a sign of spina bifida but his is not very deep at all. Hope the u/s goes well for you

Hey there,
Both my boys have a sacral dimple? Well I assume thats what it is. When Bailey was born they didnt seem to concerned about it. Just noted it and nothing more was said. Then when Sam was born they asked if Bailey had one and I said yes, and thats all that was said about it then too. Now you have me worried?? Can you let me know what comes out of it. Ta :)

Fergus has two sacral dimples. It was picked up at birth and we haven't ever been able to see the bottom of either dimple. However as he grows they are actually getting deeper. He's had a couple of ultrasounds and is being monitored by a surgeon. Neither of his dimples seem to be connected to the spinal cord, so the only prob with them seems to be the risk of infection (at this age from stray poop and after puberty from ingrown hairs). We are fastidious about keeping his dimples free from poop and so far we've not had any infections at all.

It looks as though Fergus has to have another operation for an unrelated problem. While he's under GA the surgeon thinks he will "repair" (whatever that means) the dimples. I think if he wasn't having another operation the advice would be to just let it be unless we start having problems with infections. Due to the location of the dimples (near the spinal cord) infections are apparently more dangerous than in other places. We're actually seeing the surgeon again on Friday so will be interesting to see what he says a couple of months down the track.

Indah has one, Maddy doesnt, Indah's dimple & aurrounding area is a deep blue colour due to her mixed genes! Maddy had a slight blue that went away Indah's is not fading...
I noticed Indahs & asked about it but as it's not deep & can clearly see that it is sealed it is OK.

When I asked I was old it's the most common ailment (for lack of a better word) as it is the last skin to grow???

I hope it is nothing Kathryn, Mummabear79 & Kirsty!!!

hmmm.... Matilda has one. Never thought anything about it. Have had a good look & its pretty deep, but she's been checked over by so many paediatricians & doctors because of reflux I would have thought someone would have said something... they checked every little bit of her with me watching so I know they've seen it.

Kathryn I hope the scan goes well! I may make a note of it to get hers checked and "on record".

Christy I was the same with Lachlan as he has seen a few paeds in his life as well and then had surgery for his hydrocele at the start of the year and nobody ever mentioned anything so I thought "surely they have seen it and are not bothered" which is why I started to wonder after what the CYH nurse said about Ashton's being closed so that was okay and then the wonder made me start to freak a bit LOL.

Love

Yeah I think why I will bring it up on her next check & make sure they see it this time. I guess when they are looking at other things, like she had a fused labia that even though they are in the nappy area & looking around they may not take note of it unless its pointed out to them.

Kat one of my nephews has a sacral dimple and spina bifida. So far he has no ill effects, and he's now 7. Hope you get some more news soon.

OMG I`m worried now, both my boys have a sacral dimple, Matthew`s is only small and I can see the bottom of it easily but Adrian`s is quite large and I can`t see the bottom.

Kathryn - Have you got any results back from the u/s? Thinking of you, hope everythings okay.

I have a huge one, and I'm pretty normal. ;)
Jenna has one, and its not too deep, but I figured it was just a genetic thing like dimples. I have them too - one on my thigh and one on my cheek. Jenna has one on her cheek too.
Hopefully everything is fine for you Kathryn.

our ultrasound is on the 29th of November, so just under 3wks away. It is an xray and u/sound.

Love

We saw the surgeon on Friday. We are booked in for an operation in February. He called it "an excision". So he'll excise Fergus's 2 sacral dimples while he is under GA for his operation to fix his 2 hydroceles.

My DS has one where you can't see the bottom. When the paed checked him out before we left the hospital she booked him in for an ultrasound. I was so worried! But we went to the ultrasound and everything was fine.

To be honest, the ultrasound guy didn't seem like he knew what he was doing and when he got someone else to check it out he seemed pretty certain it wasn't it but didn't take much time to look at it, so I am still worried that they didn't check properly :(.

Kirsy - lachlan too had a hydrocele fixed at the start of the year. Good luck for the surgery in feb

Love

Thanks Kathryn. How long was Lachlan's recovery time?

Seriously just a matter of hours. He had surgery around 10 in the morning and was back home and riding his bike of all things by 4pm that afternoon. was naturally very sleepy for the first few hours out of surgery, but as soon as he ate he came alive.

Love

Wow aren't kids amazing. Seeing him riding his bike so soon must have been a huge relief for you all. xx

Hi There
I Was Very Happy When I Seen This Forum I Have An 8 Week Old And He Has A Sacral Dimple And To Be Blunt Ive Been Sh#t Scared I Am Now Very Disapointed Now With The Hospital As I Also Was Told Hes Got A Sacral Dimple And Thats All That Was Said They Didnt Even Show It To Me, I Didnt Even Know What They Were Talking About Until My Local Gp Did His Check
The Doctor Says He Has To Be Examined By A Specialist
I Know Exactly How You Feel Especialy When Everyone Keeps Reminding Me That Its Linked To Spina Bifita
One Thing That I Do All The Time Is Play With My Babys Feet I Let Him Push Off My Hands Because The Main Thing With Spina Bifita Is Being Paralised So The Way I Look At It Is If Your Child Can Push Off Your Hand With There Feet Or They Are Ticklish There Shouldnt Be A Problem

Just give a quick update for you all

Lachlan had his u/sound and xray on the 29th of November, which was a Wednesday I think. Got a phone call on the Friday and had to see GP on the Monday. (week ago today).

Lachlan's dimple is tethered to the coccyx and he has very slight spina bifida occulta (a variant of spina bifida) but not enough to cause him any concern. GP wanted us to get a 2nd opinion on what he said with a proper Paedtrician (even though we trust his verdict) and that appointment is wednesday night.

Love

All the best Kathryn xoxo

Nope nothing like that at all Shannon unless the paed says tomorrow.

Love

Okay we saw the paed, and he would like us to have an MRI done to get a clear picture of the area to see if the dimple is actually attached to the coccyx or not as the ultrasound was inconclusive in his opinion. He has agreed to wait 12 mths to see how he develops over the next year and to make sure there are no issues with toilet training etc.

Apparently the tether doesn't grow with the child, so when the child does grow the tether begins to pull on the coccyx which then creates spinal problems. So if an MRI in 12 mths finds it definitely attached then we will have to look into having it snipped.

He was thinking of doing the MRI earlier, but said they would have to give lachlan anesthetic or a sedative of some sort to keep him still for the 10 mins the MRI was being done, which I didn't want to happen so that is why he agreed to get reviewed in 12mths then go from there.

Also he said that his testicles were very high, so we have to see if they drop tonight when Lachlan is in the bath and if so that will be fine and he will review that again in 12mths too and if not then it is back to the GP to sort that out

Love

Hi! I am new to this site. My 7 year old son has a sacral dimple. He recently had an x-ray done of his lower spine and has been diagnosed with spina bifida occulta (a very mild form). When he was born I was very concerned about his dimple but every doctor we spoke to said not to worry about it. He has had trouble with urinary incontinence and that is what made the doctors search further. In every other way he is a happy healthy boy. He is scheduled to have an MRI in the next couple of weeks so we will soon know the extent of his spina bifida.

What really concerns me is that he has three younger siblings (5,3 and 1 yrs old). All of them have sacral dimples. The 5 and 3 yrs olds are both fully toilet trained so are showing no unsual symptoms as yet. I am really worried that they all have some degree of spina bifida occulta.

I am desperate to talk to others who have any experience with this.

Kathryn, I have been reading your earlier posts. Has Lachlan has his MRI? I hope all goes well.

We saw another paediatrician for our 1 year follow up, as the one we originally saw was no longer practicing where we take him. He seemed to think it was fine. Lachlan is now 4 and has had no issues at all with toilet training or anything like that. We did have a note from our GP not long ago saying to come in and get it re-checked, but i am pretty bad with making doctors appointments due to the long waiting time so usually wait till we have to go for something else as well then make it a double and get everyone sorted at once.


i was told originally if you can see the bottom of it then there is no need for concern. Can you see the bottom of the dimples in your other children ?

Love

Wow, it has a name!
Caden has one also, and the pead just checks that it has a "bottom" and is sealed. Apparently it is the last thing to "zip" up once the spinal cord has been sealed, and is quite common.

I thought they could check for spina bifida in utero?

I also thought it was genetic, as it can be passed down in families. I thought I would take extra folate next pregnancy just in case, but am not too worried as my doc isn't worried.

Good luck!

2 of my children have sacral dimples, and Zaviers is quiet deep.
We too had an MRI and were told it is tethered to his spinal column, but not his spinal chord. So there is nothing we should do, but keep an eye on it. We were never told it may need snipping. I wonder if i should have it all re-checked, just in case??

I have just found this site and its great to find other people with Spina Bifida Occulta - My paed told us that my daugther had a tethered spinal cord because she had a small birth mark on her lower back which was a little hairy. After ultrasound and MRI they have confirmed that her spinal cord is tethered. Saw Neurosurgeon yesterday and he said she had Spina Bifida Occulta with a tethered spnial cord. He suggested we operate before 6 months of age because as she grows the bit that is tethered can stretch and lead to complications like problems with her legs and bowel. After reading many things we have decided to do the operation as once there is a complication from stetching e.g. loss of bowel control it is not reversible even with the operation. The operation can stop if getting worse but the damage is already done. Some people have to cathadarise themselves for life so we don't want to risk this but there are also many risks with the operation like infection and meningitis as they have to cut through the spinal bone. She will then be monitored over the years as there is a small chance it can become retethered. Operation is on 6/11/08. I also took folate for 5 months before birth and 3 months into and no family history of Spina Bifida. My DD is only 15 weeks old but we know that this has to be done so trying to be positive.

Goodluck with her upcoming operation. Let us know how you get on :hug:

I recon I have a sacral dimple. It is a dimple in my bum crack, but right near the top. Mine is not deep, maybe 1/2 to 1 cm, it literally is like a dimple. I thought everyone had one (tho TBH, am not really in the habit of sticking my fingers into other peoples bum cracks)
Is this something I should let my doc know about?
Ta, Shell

my daughter also has a sacral dimple. We have found that it is linked to her genetic condition, she has a 6q deletion as well as hydrocephalus. All the drs and specialists that have seen her haven't been concerned about it at all. I can see the end of it but when you feel it you can feel the base of the spine, but have been told its of no concern.