Inside Kolkata SSKM’s rare surgery to remove a 23-cm ‘true human tail’

While ‘human tail’ is often used loosely for a variety of tail-like growths, pediatric surgeons distinguish between pseudo and ‘true human tails’. to minor skin protrusions or structural anomalies, this case was diagnosed as a ‘true human tail’.

“Based on published data in medical science and journal publications, around 200 cases of tail removal have been documented worldwide so far. Most of these are tail-like structures known as Pseudo Tails, which grow from teratoma tumors, swelling, or structural defects in the spine. But only 40 cases of True Human Tails have been reported globally. Our surgical case is the 41st, and it is the longest among them,” Dr Sabyasachi Bakshi, Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatric Surgery at SSKM Hospital, told The Indian Express.

The longest operated human tail in India was an 18-centimeter growth removed from a 17-year-old at the Government Medical College in Nagpur. Globally, the longest surgical precedent was a 22-centimeter tail removed from a patient in France, which has now been surpassed by the 23-centimeter milestone at SSKM.

Doctors clarified that although Alipurduar’s Chandre Oram is listed in the Guinness World Records with a 33.02-cm tail, his was a pseudo-tail that was never surgically removed due to religious beliefs.

“First of all, we believe—and this will be verified further—that our case is the largest ever reported true human tail in the world. We are going to report this very soon in a peer-reviewed international indexed journal from Springer Nature,” Dr Bakshi said.

The phenomenon of a human tail finds its explanation in embryology. According to experts, every human fetus develops a tail-like structure containing 10 to 12 bony or cartilaginous elements during the fourth to fifth weeks of pregnancy. “Normally, this structure disappears through apoptosis, or programmed cell death. If that process does not occur completely, a tail-like structure may persist,” Dr Bakshi said.

Distinguishing a true tail from a false one is critical for surgical planning. A true human tail contains fat, muscle, connective tissue, skin, sweat glands, hair follicles and nerve endings, but no bones or spinal cord elements.

“The patient could feel the tail when it was touched because it had nerve endings. But the muscles were rudimentary, so he could not move it like an animal’s tail,” Dr Bakshi said.

Pseudo-tails, on the other hand, are often associated with spinal abnormalities or tumours.

“They are surgically treatable but require greater caution because they may contain spinal cord or neural tissue,” he said.

The boy’s tail was located in the lombo-sacral region near the waist. Though small at birth, it grew proportionally with age, eventually reaching 23 cm. Doctors said the teenager experienced discomfort while sitting and faced persistent bullying and social stigma at school.

Before surgery, the team – led by Dr Ruchirendu Sarkar, Head of the Department of Pediatric Surgery, and comprising Dr Sandip Kumar Ghosh, Dr Sayak Palit and Dr Bakshi – conducted detailed investigations, including an MRI scan, to confirm that the growth had no connection with the spinal cord, a critical step to rule out the risk of lower-body paralysis.

The doctors also found no family history of the condition or maternal drug exposure during pregnancy that could explain the anomaly.

Following the operation, the teenager has been relieved of both the physical discomfort and the social stigma associated with the condition.

“He can now live a completely normal life, both functionally and physiologically,” Dr Bakshi said.

The team hopes the case encourages families to seek medical attention for rare congenital anomalies instead of hiding them.

“Earlier, such conditions often went undiagnosed, nor did we have such advanced treatment available to us. If anyone notices any such swelling or abnormal growth in the tail region, it should not be ignored. They should go to the nearest government health facility. The doctor there will guide them on what needs to be done next,” Dr Bakshi said.