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CC BY 4.0 · European J Pediatr Surg Rep.
DOI: 10.1055/a-2733-3072
Case Report

UNVEILING A UNIQUE POSTERIOR CLOACA VARIANT: EXPANDING THE SPECTRUM

Authors

  • Tarlia Rasa Govender

    1   Paediatric surgery, Nelson Mandela Children's Hospital, Johannesburg, South Africa (Ringgold ID: RIN707155)

  • Emanuele Trovalusci 

    2   Paediatric Surgery, Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital, Johannesburg, South Africa (Ringgold ID: RIN118838)

  • Andre Theron

    3   Paediatric Surgery, Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital, Johannesburg, South Africa (Ringgold ID: RIN705264)

  • Chris Westgarth-Taylor

    4   Pediatric Colorectal and Urogenital Program, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, United States (Ringgold ID: RIN3989)

  • Giulia Brisighelli 

    2   Paediatric Surgery, Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital, Johannesburg, South Africa (Ringgold ID: RIN118838)
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A posterior cloacal variant is a congenital malformation where a urogenital sinus terminates anterior to a normally placed anus. These are rare malformations with highly variable anatomy. We report on three cases of a novel phenotype of posterior cloaca encountered at our institutions between October 2021 and November 2023. Three newborn girls were referred with ambiguous external genitalia and an anorectal malformation. In all cases, a midline sac, which are likely fused labioscrotal folds, replacing the clitoris was noted anterior to the perineal orifices. Two of the three patients demised as a result of renal failure. The third patient underwent reconstruction and is well. This posterior cloacal phenotype appears to be frequently associated with severe renal insufficiency. In survivors of the neonatal period, a good cosmetic outcome is achievable. Functional outcomes remain to be assessed.



Publication History

Received: 15 July 2025

Accepted after revision: 19 August 2025

Accepted Manuscript online:
29 October 2025

© . The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, permitting unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction so long as the original work is properly cited. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

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