Missing anus: Do not miss it.

Anorectal malformations (ARMs) are commonly encountered in clinical practice, with an incidence of about 1 in 5000 live births. They are diagnosed in early neonatal period when on routine neonatal examination at birth, anal opening is found to be absent or abnormally located. We present a neonate whose ARM was initially missed due to a cursory examination of perineal area. The lesson learnt would be of great value for the clinical examination of a newly born baby.