Ultrasound Evaluation of Spinal Cord in Newborns with Sacral Pit

Background: sacral pit is a shallow or deep dimple in the lower sacral region, with a reported prevalence of 3-5% among newborns. the aim of the present study was to investigate spinal cord abnormalities in newborns with sacral pit via ultrasound examinations. methods: in this descriptive study, 3071 infants born at 34-42 weeks of gestation were studied in hospitals affiliated to islamic azad university of mashhad, iran during 2014-2015. information including age, sex, and birth weight was recorded in a questionnaire. infants with a sacral pit underwent ultrasonography; spinal shape and mobility in these infants were compared with their healthy counterparts. for statistical analysis, data were entered to microsoft excel software. chi- square and student’s t-test were performed, using spss version 20. results: based on the findings, 1.6% of the studied infants were born with a sacral pit. the weight and age were not significantly different between healthy neonates and those with a sacral pit. the prevalence of sacral pit was higher in female cases (54.2%), although there was no significant difference between the genders. ultrasound examination of the spinal cord revealed its normal position and motility in all newborns with a sacral dimple. conclusion: the present results showed the normal shape and motility of the spinal cord in newborns with a sacral pit. therefore, there was no correlation between sacral pit as a cutaneous marker and neural tube defects.