title: Midline cutaneous lumbosacral lesions: not always a sign of occult spinal dysraphism.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The authors report two unusual cases of extraspinal midline lumbosacral lesions that resembled the usual skin markers of occult spina bifida.
  
  
  METHODS
  The pathological diagnosis of the masses was plexiform neurofibroma and mastocytoma, respectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Some lesions, as those we are reporting, although occurring at the lumbosacral midline, do not necessarily belong to occult spinal dysraphism, as was initially suspected. Plexiform neurofibroma and skin mastocytoma are very rare indeed in this spinal location.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The two cases represent an important addition to the differential diagnosis of a congenital dorsal midline mass.
authors.affiliation: Regional Service of Neurosurgery, "Virgen de la Arrixaca" University Hospital, El Palmar, 30120, Murcia, Spain. juanf.martinezlage@carm.es
authors.forename: Juan F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Martínez-Lage
authors.forename: Belen Ferri
authors.initials: BF
authors.lastname: Niguez
authors.forename: Miguel A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Pérez-Espejo
authors.forename: María J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Almagro
authors.forename: Concepción
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Maeztu
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008161:Lumbosacral Region; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D034801:Mastocytoma / Q000175:diagnosis*; D009455:Neurofibroma / Q000175:diagnosis*; D016135:Spinal Dysraphism / Q000175:diagnosis