Publication:

Cranium bifidum with meningocele in ruminants: a clinical insight

Cranium bifidum is an incomplete closure of the skull at the suture lines, leaving a space through which the intracranial tissues can protrude. Meningocele is the herniation of the meninges containing cerebrospinal fluid through the cranium bifidum. This congenital defect is attributed to the intake of certain poisonous plants, genetic abnormalities, hereditary factors, malnutrition, bovine viral diarrhea, and others. The obvious clinical sign is a floating saccular protrusion of varied size and volume and is typically associated with cranium bifidum in the frontal or parietal region. Surgical management involves exposing the effective cranial opening and suturing the dura mater in a simple continuous pattern. Prognosis depends on the presence or absence of neurological signs; neurological signs are associated with morphological changes in brain tissue with poor prognosis.