Background
While sacrococcygeal teratoma (SCT) is a tumor originating from the tip of the sacrum, presacral tumors are accompanied by Currarino syndrome (CS) and classified as the Altman’s type IV sacrococcygeal tumors. They are quite different in their pathologies despite the similar location. To the best of our knowledge, there are no published reports comparing their prognosis; therefore, we analyzed their postoperative results and long-term prognosis. Twenty patients with SCT, including CS, who were being followed up at the outpatient clinic of the Department of Pediatric Surgery, Miyagi Children's Hospital between 2004 and 2020, were enrolled in the study. Patients were divided into two groups: those who developed SCT without anorectal malformation and sacral dysplasia, and those who developed presacral tumors with anorectal malformation or sacral dysplasia as CS. Patient records were retrospectively reviewed for clinical details, postoperative complications, and long-term prognosis.
Results
Tethered cord syndrome occurred significantly more frequently in the CS group ( = 0.0108). However, no significant differences were observed for malformations other than tethered cord syndrome. Early complications in the CS group were significantly higher than those in the SCT group ( = 0.023); the most common complication was dysuria. Regarding long-term prognosis, 70% of patients in the CS group complained of defecation disorders, which was significantly higher than that in the SCT group ( = 0.0198). Voiding dysfunction was also more common in the CS group.
Conclusions
There were significant differences between SCT and CS regarding the rate of development of tethered cord syndrome, short-term postoperative complications, and long-term prognosis. Thus, they are different diseases with the only commonality being the presence of a sacrococcygeal tumor. Furthermore, this study indicated that the background and prognosis of the two conditions were also quite different.