Case report: the discovery of a fetal skull from a uterus of cow, with supposed pregnancy of six months.

Introduction - Foetal maceration consists of the degeneration of soft foetal tissues and occurs in quite all mammalian species with a higher incidence in the dairy cow. It is due to the precocious lysis of the pregnant corpus luteum, leading to cervical dilation, bacterial foetal colonization and the establishment of an inflammatory process. Aim - To describe the exceptional extraction of a bovine fetal skull from a uterus supposed to be 6 month pregnant. Material and methods - A 4 year old pregnant Friesian cow was referred to the Mobile Veterinary Clinic of the University of Bari, since a brown vulvar discharge had appeared around the 150th day of gestation and the presence of a 5-6 x 7 cm uterine mass was perceived at transrectal palpation. Transrectal ultrasonography let confirm and visualize the presence of a hyperechoic mass located in the middle third of the left uterine horn. Two dinoprost (Dinolytic (R), Pfizer, Italia) (25 mg) doses were intramuscularly administered 24 hours apart, with no result. On the third day, half a dose of dinoprost was administered in the epidural space; following, a mild cervical dilation (2 cm) was achieved, without the expulsion of the mass. Upon uterotomy, a 5-6 x 7 cm bovine skull, with detached jaw and partial orbital bones was extracted. Results - Uterotomy was performed using a particular technique and complete healing was achieved within 10 days after surgery. Discussion - The unusual finding could be the residual of a partial abortus, undergone maceration: a partial and temporary cervical dilation, followed by a progressive cervical closure may have provoked necrosis and detachment of the foetal portion beyond the cervix itself. Bacteria colonizing the uterus may have provoked the maceration of the residual foetal head.