Imaging diagnosis - cerebellar displacement and spina bifida in a calf

We herein present the case of a calf affected by an “Arnold-Chiari-like” malformation, diagnosed by ultrasonography. A full-term, newborn female calf with paralysis of the hind limbs was sent to our department for examination. The dorsal profile was interrupted at the sacral level by a circular area of the skin. the diagnosis was 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 showed herniation of the cerebellum, the caudal part of brain stem and the occipital lobes. This type of brain defect, associated with spina bifida, resembles the so-called “Arnold-Chiari” malformation in humans. Necropsy confirmed the ultrasonographic diagnosis.