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Case Reports
. 2022 May 16;14(5):e25040.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.25040. eCollection 2022 May.

Early Diagnosis of Anal Canal Duplication: The Importance of a Physical Examination

Ioannis Karamatzanis  1 , Panagiota Kosmidou  2   3 , Stavros Harmanis  4 , Ioannis Karamatzanis  5 , Giorgos Harmanis  6
Affiliations
Case Reports

Early Diagnosis of Anal Canal Duplication: The Importance of a Physical Examination

Ioannis Karamatzanis et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

Anal canal duplication (ACD) is an extremely rare congenital anomaly of the intestinal tract that presents as an extra opening of the anal canal without communication with the anorectum. We present the case of a five-year-old male presenting to the pediatrician without symptoms and upon physical examination, a duplicated anal canal along the midline was discovered. The patient was admitted for surgery and the canal was removed via mucosal stripping. Postoperatively, the patient recovered well. The present study aims to expand on our knowledge of a very rare pathological entity and emphasize the importance of a complete pediatric physical examination.

Keywords: anal canal duplication; ano rectal diseases; anorectal malformation; congenital disease; neonatal malformation.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Picture of the anal canal duplication (black arrow).
Figure 2
Figure 2. Axial MRI view of the pelvis, showing the true anal canal (blue arrow) and the duplicated anal canal (orange arrow).
Figure 3
Figure 3. The duplicated anal canal was removed with incision and multiple silk traction sutures were placed.
Figure 4
Figure 4. Intra-operative suturing of the removed lesion.
Figure 5
Figure 5. Post-surgical image of the successful repair.
Figure 6
Figure 6. Successful repair of the anal canal duplication 9-month postoperative (blue arrow).
Figure 7
Figure 7. Transitional-cell epithelium (black arrow), presence of smooth muscle cells (orange arrow), and anal glands (blue arrow).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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