Surgical correction of a meningoencephalocele in a thoroughbred filly

Abstract

Objective To describe the surgical correction of a closed meningoencephalocele in a thoroughbred filly. Study design Case report. Animal One thoroughbred filly, 1.5 months old at the time of surgery. Methods A meningoencephalocele was identified at birth and diagnosed with radiography and MRI. The abnormal tissue was excised and submitted for histopathology, the dura was closed, and the defect in the skull was corrected with a titanium mesh. Results Histopathology confirmed the presence of neural parenchyma consisting of neurons and glial cells. The filly remained without neurologic deficits 7 months after surgery. Conclusion Surgical correction of a meningoencephalocele was performed and considered successful, with no long‐term neurologic deficits postoperatively. Clinical significance Given the paucity of neural tube defect cases in the equine population, no surgical corrective techniques have been reported in the literature. This Case Report describes the first successful surgical treatment of a meningoencephalocele in a horse.

Comparison of inherited neural tube defects in companion animals and livestock

“…NTDs are recognized in several domestic species including dogs (Appelgrein, Hosgood, & Reese, 2016; Lazzerini et al, 2017; Wilson, Kurtz, Leipold, & Lees, 1979), cats (Lyons et al, 2016; Piummer, Bunch, Khoo, & Spaulding, 1993; Tamura et al, 2017), cattle and sheep (Adalsteinsson & Basrur, 1984; D. Y. Cho & Leipold, 1977; Kohli & Naddaf, 1998; Windsor, Kessell, & Finnie, 2011), pigs (I.‐C. Cho et al, 2015; Hughes & Hart, 1934; Mulley & Edwards, 1984; Wijeratne, Beaton, & Cuthbertson, 1974) and horses (A. M. Buck & Hunt, 2019; Van Hoogmoed, Yarbrough, Lecouteur, & Hornof, 1999) (Table 2). Rare cases are occasionally described in other species (Supporting Information Table S1).…”