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A girl with spina bifida, an extra leg, and ectopic intestinal loops – a “foetus in foetu” or a whim of the neural crest?

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Summary

This article describes a girl with an extra leg attached to her lower back, combined with a spina bifida and a myelomeningocele. Despite lacking sensory or motor functions, the leg grew proportionately with the rest of the body. The bony structures were almost normal. A cross section showed fat tissue with some centrally situated blood vessels, nerve bundles, and muscular fragments. Proximally, an isolated colon loop was found. The extra leg and intestine respected the dorsal fascia, without connection with the peritoneal or retroperitoneal compartments. The finding is discussed with reference to existing hypotheses for limb formation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Myungsung Christian Medical Centre, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

    G. Lende

  2. CURE INTERNATIONAL and Myungsung Christian Medical Centre, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

    W. Wendemu

  3. Department of Pathology, The Gade Institute, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway

    S. Mørk

  4. Section for Neurosurgery, Institute of Surgical Sciences, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway

    K. Wester

  5. Department of Neurosurgery, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway

    K. Wester

Authors
  1. G. Lende
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  2. W. Wendemu
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  3. S. Mørk
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  4. K. Wester
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Lende, G., Wendemu, W., Mørk, S. et al. A girl with spina bifida, an extra leg, and ectopic intestinal loops – a “foetus in foetu” or a whim of the neural crest?. Acta Neurochir (Wien) 149, 1071–1075 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00701-007-1258-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00701-007-1258-2

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