Sacral dimple

smileychic10986

Does anyone else's lo have a sacral dimple?  what has your pedi said about it?  how long does their pedi have to monitor the dimple for?  at each appointment dd's pedi checks it out, to make sure she can see the end of it.  i am just not really sure what that means though.  anyone know anything else about this??

PurpleK26

K does, but pedi has never mentioned it, though he does check it. Heres what i found:

A sacral dimple or pilonidal dimple is a small hole located just above the buttocks. The name comes from the sacrum, the bone at the end of the spine, over which the dimples are found. More than 2% of babies may have such dimples; almost all of these are very minor. However, it may be a sign of Spina bifida: even so this is usually the spina bifida occulta form which is the least serious kind. Sacral dimples are usually spotted in post-natal checks by a pediatrician, who will check:

• Can the floor of the dimple be seen to be covered with skin? If not, it may be that the neural tube is not completely closed.
• Is there a tuft of hair in the dimple? This may also indicate problems.
• Are there any other problems in the examination of the baby, such as weak lower limbs.
• How close to the buttocks is the dimple? The lower, the better.

Additionally, this can be indicative of a possible kidney problem, which is then checked by an ultrasound.

 

smileychic10986

PurpleK26:

K does, but pedi has never mentioned it, though he does check it. Heres what i found:

A sacral dimple or pilonidal dimple is a small hole located just above the buttocks. The name comes from the sacrum, the bone at the end of the spine, over which the dimples are found. More than 2% of babies may have such dimples; almost all of these are very minor. However, it may be a sign of Spina bifida: even so this is usually the spina bifida occulta form which is the least serious kind. Sacral dimples are usually spotted in post-natal checks by a pediatrician, who will check:

• Can the floor of the dimple be seen to be covered with skin? If not, it may be that the neural tube is not completely closed.
• Is there a tuft of hair in the dimple? This may also indicate problems.
• Are there any other problems in the examination of the baby, such as weak lower limbs.
• How close to the buttocks is the dimple? The lower, the better.

Additionally, this can be indicative of a possible kidney problem, which is then checked by an ultrasound.

 

hmm, that is interesting.  but i don't notice any of those issues with dd's, so i am sure it's normal.  thanks!

PurpleK26

This was from wikipedia, but that 2% seems low to me. I said something to my mom about her little butt dimple a while ago, and she said that myself and all 3 of my sibs had it, so it must be more common than that 2%!

maramarrie

Harris has one also but the pedi hasn't said much about it and never checks it at well baby visits. I asked her what it was on one of our early visits and she checked it out, but his isn't very deep and it's closed. She said it may just be that we have to go to a little extra effort to get it clean sometimes (and with really messy poops we do). I haven't looked at it in a long time. It could be getting shallower.