science

SACRAL syndrome

SACRAL syndrome is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand SACRAL syndrome rather than just read about it. In short: SACRAL syndrome is a congenital condition characterized by spinal dysraphism and anogenital, cutaneous, renal and urologic anomalies, associated with an angioma of lumbosacral localization. The constellation of abnormalities comprising SACRAL syndrome was first described in 1986.

Key takeaways

SACRAL syndrome belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect SACRAL syndrome to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of SACRAL syndrome from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

SACRAL syndrome is a congenital condition characterized by spinal dysraphism and anogenital, cutaneous, renal and urologic anomalies, associated with an angioma of lumbosacral localization. The constellation of abnormalities comprising SACRAL syndrome was first described in 1986. The syndrome was further characterized and the term SACRAL syndrome was first used in 2007 by researchers in Bordeaux, France. The researchers noted that in the 49 instances of perineal hemangiomas (angiomas of lumbosacral localization) in children since 1994, 5 children had additional malformations associated with the SACRAL syndrome. Infantile hemangiomas are very common in infancy, affecting 2% of infants at birth and up to 10% at 1 year of age but they usually affect the head and face area, rarely affecting the lumbosacral area. Some abnormalities described as part of the SACRAL syndrome include lipomeylomeningocele (a fatty growth forms near the spinal cord and attaches to it preventing closure of the neural tube (spinal dysraphism)) with a tethered cord, imperforate anus, lipomas under the skin, or hypospadias. SACRAL syndrome has similar abnormalities to PELVIS syndrome, which was first described in 2006, and presents in babies as perineal hemangiomas, external genital malformations, lipomeningocele (neural tube defects), vesicorenal abnormalities (abnormalities of the bladder or kidneys), imperforate anus and skin tags.

Cause The cause of SACRAL syndrome is not known. But neural tube defects in general are thought to involve genetic and environmental causes. Common causes of neural tube defects include folic acid deficiency in the mother before pregnancy, certain medications such a valproic acid (commonly used in seizures or as a mood stabilizer), fever in the mother or hot tub use, and diabetes in the mother. It is unclear whether SACRAL syndrome has a genetic cause. In general, most cases of neural tube defects are sporadic, and familial cases are rare.

Prevention Spinal dysraphism (neural tube defects) are prevented with folic acid supplementation by the mother. The US Preventitive Services Task Force recommends 0.4-0.8 grams of folic acid supplementation daily for all women of childbearing age to prevent neural tube defects. Epidemiological studies have shown that folic acid supplementation in women of childbearing age reduces the incidence of neural tube defects. But supplementation started after 6 weeks of pregnancy is not associated with a reduction in neural tube defects as neural tube formation is already complete by the 4th week of gestation. Therefore, folic acid supplementation ideally should be ongoing before pregnancy occurs.

Treatment Neural tube defects, once formed, can be treated surgically. Post-natal surgical treatment is usually done, depending on the severity of the defect. Intra-uterine fetal surgery, done before birth, can also be done but is associated with maternal and fetal risks. Treatment of a tethered cord also requires surgical treatment.

See also PELVIS syndrome List of cutaneous conditions

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with SACRAL syndrome

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what SACRAL syndrome claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to SACRAL syndrome before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about SACRAL syndrome ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of SACRAL syndrome

In research: SACRAL syndrome appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses SACRAL syndrome in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: SACRAL syndrome is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Cutaneous congenital anomalies, Syndromes, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for SACRAL syndrome outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study SACRAL syndrome in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what SACRAL syndrome means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain SACRAL syndrome out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is SACRAL syndrome in simple terms?

Why does SACRAL syndrome matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study SACRAL syndrome?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on SACRAL syndrome.