{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,19]],"date-time":"2026-09-19T15:08:20Z","timestamp":1789830500924,"version":"4.0.1"},"reference-count":47,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,3,25]],"date-time":"2025-03-25T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1742860800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Vet. Sci."],"abstract":"<jats:p>Neural tube defects (NTDs) are a group of congenital malformations characterized by various levels of protrusions of meninges with or without nervous tissue through incomplete osseous coverage (cranium bifidum for the cranial forms and spina bifida for spinal meningoceles\/myelomeningoceles [MCs\/MMCs]), with associated dorsal midline cutaneous signs. Amongst a confusing vocabulary, spina bifida is both the term most used to refer to NTDs and the most common manifestation of NTDs, with a predilection for the lumbosacral area in screw-tail breeds. With the growing popularity of bulldogs, lumbosacral (LS) MCs\/MMCs are increasingly encountered, and small animal practitioners should learn to recognize them. Clinical signs may include urinary and\/or fecal incontinence, pelvic limb neurological deficits with bunny hopping (neurolocalization L4-caudal or subset), and cutaneous signs (swirl of hair and dimple); the combination of which is pathognomonic of these disorders in bulldog puppies. Since these malformations often trigger a tethered cord syndrome (TCS), neurological worsening is possible. While historically reported to be somewhat hopeless regarding neurological improvement, isolated case reports, small case series, and personal experience of the author indicates that post-operative improvement is possible. Review of the literature (14 cases) and personal surgical experience (9 cases) retrieved 23 canine cases of LS MC\/MMC treated surgically with follow-up. Clinical presentation, diagnostic imaging findings (CT and MRI), and intra- and post-operative findings are discussed in this article, along with a detailed description of the surgical technique. Pelvic limb deficits improve post-surgically in most cases (14\/17 [82%] cases with pre-operative deficits and follow-up \u22651\u202fmonth) albeit sometimes only marginally. Urinary\/fecal continence can improve also, although less frequently (10\/21 [48%] at 1\u202fmonth follow-up and 8\/21 [38%] at \u22656\u202fmonths).<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3389\/fvets.2025.1510800","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,3,26]],"date-time":"2025-03-26T00:40:28Z","timestamp":1742949628000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":5,"title":["Lumbosacral (myelo) meningoceles in dogs, related tethered cord syndrome, and their surgical management: review of the literature and clinical experience"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"12","author":[{"given":"Patrick","family":"Roynard","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Curtis Wells","family":"Dewey","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,3,25]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"455","DOI":"10.1111\/pde.14117","article-title":"Low risk of clinically important central nervous system dysraphism in a cohort study of 69 patients with isolated aplasia cutis congenita of the head","volume":"37","author":"Kuemmet","year":"2020","journal-title":"Pediatr Dermatol"},{"key":"ref2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"478","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jaad.2016.08.046","article-title":"The scalp hair collar and tuft signs: A retrospective multicenter study of 78 patients with a systematic review of the literature","volume":"76","author":"Bessis","year":"2017","journal-title":"J Am Acad Dermatol"},{"key":"ref3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1375","DOI":"10.1007\/s12520-016-0460-7","article-title":"Spinal dysraphism at the Syrian Neolithic site of Dja\u2019de el-Mughara","volume":"10","author":"Estebaranz-S\u00e1nchez","year":"2018","journal-title":"Archaeol Anthropol Sci"},{"key":"ref4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1007\/978-88-470-0651-5_1","volume-title":"A historical review of the Surgical treatment of Spina bifida","author":"Goodrich","year":"2008"},{"key":"ref5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"861","DOI":"10.2307\/280112","article-title":"Congenital deformities and the Olmec were-jaguar motif","volume":"46","author":"Murdy","year":"1981","journal-title":"Am Antiq"},{"key":"ref6","first-page":"231","volume-title":"Observationes medicae","author":"Tulpius","year":"1641"},{"key":"ref7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"993","DOI":"10.1056\/NEJMoa1014379","article-title":"A randomized trial of prenatal versus postnatal repair of myelomeningocele","volume":"364","author":"Adzick","year":"2011","journal-title":"N Engl J Med"},{"key":"ref8","first-page":"317","article-title":"Syringomyelia and spina bifida occulta in a Samoyed dog","volume":"14","author":"Furneaux","year":"1973","journal-title":"Can Vet J"},{"key":"ref9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"467","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jfms.2011.01.017","article-title":"MRI findings, surgical treatment and follow-up of a myelomeningocele with tethered spinal cord syndrome in a cat","volume":"13","author":"Ricci","year":"2011","journal-title":"J Feline Med Surg"},{"key":"ref10","first-page":"64","article-title":"Spina bifida in three dogs. 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