Spina bifida in calves: description of seven cases.

In the present study, the Authors describe 7 cases of calves with spina bifida, complicated by Chiari syndrome in 6 cases. The motivation for sending the calves to diagnostic facilities was the presence of evident skeletal dysmorphism at the lumbosacral level and the impossibility of assuming a quadrupedal stance. The spina bifida was located at the lumbosacral level in all cases; the clinical diagnosis was confirmed radiographically and by an autoptic exam. The malformation referable to Chiari syndrome was also present at this site. The presence of the latter alteration in 6 of the 7 patients confirms what has been described in the literature regarding the frequent association of the 2 malformations. The common ancestry, evidenced in the subjects in which the pedigree was available, was not sufficient to corroborate a hereditary hypothesis; likewise, the observations were not sufficient to validate other etiological hypotheses of a toxic or deficient nature. The Authors point out their conviction that this malformation has a greater frequency than that perceived and, for this reason, recommend a greater diagnostic-differential consideration in cases of calves with congenital paraparesis.