Kolkata doctors remove world's longest documented 'true human tail' from teenage boy

Doctors at the state-run SSKM Hospital in Kolkata have successfully removed a 23-centimetre-long 'true human tail' from a 13-year-old boy, in what the health department says is the longest documented operated case of its kind in the world.

The teenager, from north Bengal, had the tail-like growth since birth. He underwent surgery last week and has been discharged, recovering well, hospital officials said.

According to the surgical team and the state health department, only about 40 cases of 'true human tails' have been reported in medical literature globally. This case is the 41st documented and the longest among those surgically treated. Doctors plan to publish the case in an international peer-reviewed journal.

Medical experts distinguish between 'pseudo tails' and 'true human tails'. While pseudo tails are often associated with tumours or spinal abnormalities, true tails contain fat, muscle, connective tissue, skin, sweat glands, hair follicles and nerve endings, but no bones or spinal cord elements.

Dr Sabyasachi Bakshi, Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatric Surgery at SSKM, explained: 'Based on published data, around 200 cases of tail removal have been documented worldwide. Most are pseudo tails, but only 40 true human tails have been reported. Our case is the 41st true tail, and it is the longest among them.'

The previous longest operated true human tail was 22 centimetres, removed from a patient in France. In India, the longest operated tail was an 18-centimetre pseudo tail removed in Nagpur. While Alipurduar's Chandre Oram holds a Guinness record with a 33.02-centimetre tail, doctors clarified that was a pseudo tail and was never surgically removed due to religious beliefs.

The phenomenon of a human tail has an embryological explanation. Every human fetus develops a tail-like structure with 10 to 12 bony or cartilaginous elements during the fourth to fifth weeks of pregnancy. 'Normally, this structure disappears through programmed cell death. If that process does not occur completely, a tail-like structure may persist,' Dr Bakshi said.

The boy's tail was located in the lumbosacral region near the waist. Though small at birth, it grew proportionally with age. The teenager experienced discomfort while sitting and faced persistent bullying and social stigma at school, doctors said.

Before surgery, the team – led by Dr Ruchirendu Sarkar, Head of the Department of Pediatric Surgery, and including 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. This ensured a safe surgical removal.