Cervical ectopia cordis in a Whitebred Shorthorn cross calf

Abstract

A 10‐day‐old male Whitebred Shorthorn cross calf presented with a large, pulsatile, cervical mass extending from the mandible to the thoracic inlet, present since birth. The calf was bright and eating, with intermittent coughing. Clinical examination and cervical ultrasonography identified the mass as an ectopically positioned heart (cervical ectopia cordis ). Plain and contrast cervical and thoracic imaging defined heart and vascular anatomy. Haematology and biochemistry were evaluated at three time points during hospitalisation, alongside daily milk consumption and bodyweight to monitor growth. The calf developed pneumonia and diarrhoea and failed to achieve satisfactory weight gain. Poor prognosis resulted in euthanasia. Postmortem examination confirmed cervical ectopia cordis , with additional congenital abnormalities, including cardiac abnormalities (patent ductus arteriosus , absence of the left coronary ostium, aberrant left subclavian artery), malformation of the sternum, and malformations of the liver and spleen.