Imaging diagnosis--cerebellar displacement and spina bifida in a calf

Herein, we describe a calf affected by cerebellar displacement and spina bifida, diagnosed by ultrasonography. A full-term, newborn female calf with paralysis of the pelvic limbs was examined. The dorsal skin at the sacral level contained a circular defect; this was subsequently diagnosed as spina bifida. Cerebellar displacement into the cervical vertebral canal was suspected because of the frequent association of these anomalies. Spinal ultrasound examination carried out at the level of the craniocervical junction allowed identification of herniation of the cerebellum, the caudal part of brain stem, and part of an occipital lobe into the cervical vertebral canal. The ultrasonographic diagnosis was confirmed as post mortem examination. This type of brain defect, associated with spina bifida, resembles the Arnold-Chiari malformation in humans.