Midline cervical cleft

A rare neck malformation characterized by a congenital vertical atrophic and usually erythematous skin defect of variable length, lacking adnexal elements and located along the midline of the anterior neck. It typically presents with a superior skin tag, a midline subcutaneous fibrous cord which is often longer than the overlying skin defect, and an inferior blind sinus from which mucus can be expressed. The length of the defect increases with patients' age. Likewise, the fibrous cord becomes more prominent with age, potentially leading to restriction of neck extension if the malformation is left untreated. Other possible complications include microgenia, exostosis, torticollis, or infection.