Rachipagus parasitic twins: A case series and review of literature

• Main Authors: Kibruyisfaw Zewdie, Samuel Negash, Yemisirach Bizuneh, Feleke Woldemichael, Fisseha Temesgen
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier 2021-06-01
• Series: Interdisciplinary Neurosurgery
• Subjects: Rachipagus twin; Parasitic twin; Ethiopia
• Online Access: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214751920306101

Rachipagus parasiticus is a rare type of parasitic twin where an incompletely formed twin is attached to the spine. So far, only a few case reports and one case series describe this condition. Surprisingly, rachipagus is the most commonly reported type of parasitic twin in Ethiopia, with 5 reports from 2016 to 2018. In this series we describe 4 new cases operated over the past 2 years (2018–2020). All children had parts of a limb attached to the lumbosacral region with an associated neural tube defect. Surgery involved collaboration of the pediatric surgery and neurosurgery teams. The postoperative recovery was smooth with overall good outcome. To our knowledge this is the second case series on rachipagus parasitic twins and the largest literature review to date.