A rare birth defect leaves a boy with a giant red, balloon-like cyst on his back

Doctors have documented a baby boy born with a striking condition: a red, balloon-like cyst on his back.

Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital detailed The case last month in New England Journal of Medicineas part of a regular segment highlighting unusual medical images. The boy’s balloon cyst was a rare complication of a relatively common birth defect, one that left an open space in his spine. Despite its alarming appearance, doctors were able to successfully remove the cyst without any major problem, and the boy appeared to recover without any lasting developmental problems.

The boy was born with a type of neural tube defect (NTD), a condition Affects 1 in 1000 people. The neural tube is a structure that forms early in a fetus’s gestation period and is the base from which the brain and spinal cord will later develop. Normally, the tube closes completely by the fourth week of pregnancy, but sometimes it does not close completely, causing a gap to form in the spinal cord and spine. This type of NFD is specifically known as spina bifida.

in Lightest casesPeople may never experience any symptoms of spina bifida, and often do not find out until they are adults with an occasional imaging test. in The most serious casesPart of the baby’s spinal cord can push through the opening and form a sac containing spinal fluid, meninges (one of the brain’s protective layers), and nervous system tissue, or nerves. This form can lead to serious problems such as structural brain defects, difficulty moving normally, and lifelong developmental delays.

The boy’s form of spina bifida fell somewhere in the middle, which is known as a myelomeningocele. His protruding cyst was certainly large, measuring about 3 inches x 2.8 inches x 2 inches. Importantly, it contains only spinal fluid and meninges, not any spinal cord or brain tissue. A picture of the cyst can be seen herethough fair warning: it’s very weird.

There are things that can increase the chance of being born with NFD, such as the mother taking certain medications or a folic acid deficiency early in development (which is why pregnant mothers It is often recommended To take folic acid supplements). But according to doctors, the mother and fetus did not have any high risk factors. So it seems that this was just an unfortunate coincidence.

Fortunately, six days after the baby was born, doctors surgically removed the cyst and repaired the boy’s existing defect. Four days later, he was well enough to be discharged from the hospital. At a six-month follow-up visit, the boy’s growth was found to be normal.