Cervical ectopia cordis in a calf: a case report

A female Holstein Friesian calf with inferior cervical ectopia cordis was followed from the 16th day of age until euthanasia at the age of three months. The heart was located in the lower cervical region and was covered with skin. The calf was presented with normal heart and respiratory rate. A grade II/VI systolic murmur was audible at the heart base when the calf was checked for the first time, but this later disappeared. The ultrasonography revealed that the apex of the heart was directed cranio-ventrally with the left ventricle ventral and slightly to the right side while the right ventricle was dorsal. The results of complete blood count and biochemistry were inside reference intervals. At necropsy the heart was covered with normal pericardium and skin and displaced to the caudal part of the ventral cervical region, just cranial to an enlarged apertura thoracis cranialis. Additionally, the cranial lobes of the lungs were displaced through the enlarged thoracic aperture under the skin on the ventral part of the neck. In conclusion, we suspect that the deformed and enlarged cranial thoracic aperture enabled displacement of the heart and cranial lung lobes to the ventral neck region, because no other abnormalities of the heart and vessels were observed. This is the first case of cervical ectopia cordis reported in Slovenia and this article provides data regarding different aspects of the case (clinics, laboratory, pathomorphology) while also discussing previously published cases of ectopia cordis in cattle.