[Vertebral canal abscess as a complication of congenital sacral sinus in a two year old girl].

Vertebral canal abscess is rather an uncommon disease. Since 1830, when the first report that spinal of abscess was published. Till to 2000, no more than 20 cases as a result of dermal sinus infection were reported. Dermal sinus results from an incomplete separation of the cutaneus ectoderm from the neural ectoderm between the 4 and 6 weeks of fetal development. Surgical excision of the sinus is the treatment of choice for prevention of infection. The authors describes a 2-year-old girl with that abscess secondary to dorsal dermal sinus in sacral region. The patient presented with fever, since two weeks, flaccid paraparesis mainly in the right lower extremity, urinary and bowel incontinence. The child was initially treated conservatively, and after limitation of inflammatory process the dermal sinus and dermoid cyst containing a large quantity of pus were excised. The authors reviewed the literature of spinal cord abscesses secondary to congenital dermal sinus. The diagnostic and therapeutic methods presented in the literature are discussed in comparison with our case.