title: Tailgut cyst: diagnosis with CT and sonography.
abstract: Tailgut cyst is a rare congenital lesion that presents as a presacral mass, found in infancy or persisting undetected into adulthood, and characterized by multiple cysts lined with a gastrointestinal type of epithelium. In a retrospective review of five patients whose ages ranged from 1 month to 42 years--three cases with CT and two with sonograms--tailgut cyst appeared as a complex mass on both procedures, representing its composition of multiple small cysts filled with keratinous material and other debris. Other CT and sonographic features include well-defined borders, and, in one case, presentation as a mass lateral to the midline. CT also shows preservation of adjacent fat planes. Tailgut cyst should be included in the differential diagnosis of a retrorectal mass at any age.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001466:Barium Sulfate; D003560:Cysts / Q000151:congenital / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000196:embryology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D012007:Rectum; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014463:Ultrasonography
chemical_list: D001466:Barium Sulfate