Segmental spinal dysgenesis with caudal agenesis in a Holstein calf

Abstract

A rare complex dysraphic malformation, comprising segmental spinal dysgenesis with caudal agenesis, was found in a Holstein calf that was unable to stand and was slightly short at the lumbosacral spine with taillessness. The thoracolumbar and sacrococcygeal regions of the midline axial segments showed severe deformities. In the spinal cord, the thoracolumbar region showed severe constriction with myelodysplastic changes, and the sacrococcygeal region showed dorsoventral separation with connection to a neural mass. In the spine, vertebral anomalies according to the degree of the segmentation error were confirmed. The cervical and thoracic segments also showed milder dysraphic changes. These changes suggest a multisegmental causal insult impairing the early embryonic notochord. This represents the first bovine case definitively confirmed morphologically.