CVJ / VOL 52 / FEBRUARY 2011 173 Case Report Rapport de cas Congenital enlargement of the suburethral diverticulum in a Holstein calf Susan R. Vogel, Elizabeth Doré, Gaëlle Breteau, André Desrochers, Marie Babkine, Sylvain Nichols Abstract — A 3-month-old, female Holstein calf was examined because of marked perineal swelling and tenesmus of 4-days duration. A congenitally enlarged urethral diverticulum was diagnosed using fluoroscopic and ultrasonographic imaging techniques. The urethral diverticulum was surgically resected and the perineal area was reconstructed. Résumé — Agrandissement congénital d’un diverticule suburétral chez un veau Holstein. Une génisse Holstein âgé de 3 mois a été examinée en raison d’une enflure périnéale marquée et d’un ténesme d’une durée de 4 jours. Un diverticule urétral congénitalement agrandi a été diagnostiqué à l’aide de techniques d’imagerie fluoroscopique et ultrasonographique. Le diverticule urétral a été enlevé par chirurgie et la région périnéale a été reconstruite. (Traduit par Isabelle Vallières) Can Vet J 2011;52:173–176 A 3-month-old, 70-kg, female Holstein calf was presented to the veterinary teaching hospital for evaluation of a peri- neal swelling, tenesmus, and failure to urinate. The owner first noticed the swelling approximately 4 d before presentation. The following day, the referring veterinarian used needle aspiration to withdraw a yellow cloudy liquid (compatible with urine) from the mass. An injection of an unknown dose of dexamethasone was then administered. There were no improvements in the size of the mass so the calf was referred for further diagnosis and possible treatment. Case description The calf was bright and alert on presentation and was in adequate body condition. Temperature, pulse, and respira- tory rates were all within their normal ranges. On physical examination tenesmus and a soft, fluctuant mass adjacent to the vulva, approximately 10 cm in diameter, were noted. The mass was located to the right of the vulva and deviated the vulva to the left of midline. The skin over the mass was hair- less, hyperemic, superficially ulcerated, and had pitting edema (Figure 1). The calf was observed to easily pass some urine during examination and the size of this mass did not change during micturition. Upon palpation, no fluid was expressed from the mass. Hematological abnormalities included a mild hyperfibrinogenemia (6 g/L, reference range: 2 to 5 g/L) and a stress leukogram with reversal of the neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio. The serum biochemical results were within normal limits. A 3.5 MHz, curvilinear probe was used to ultrasound the per- ineal region. Ultrasonographically, the perineal mass was thick- walled, had an internal diameter of 7.6 cm and its content was hypoechoic and mildly heterogenic (Figure 2a). Echographically, it resembled the bladder (Figure 2b). The bladder was located in a normal position just cranial to the pelvic canal, was thick- walled, and contained mildly heterogenic urine. The renal archi- tecture was not examined during the ultrasound examination. Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculté de Médecine Vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, St-Hyacinthe, Québec J2S 7C6. Address all correspondence to Dr. Susan Vogel; e-mail: susan.vogel@umontreal.ca Use of this article is limited to a single copy for personal study. Anyone interested in obtaining reprints should contact the CVMA office (hbroughton@cvma-acmv.org) for additional copies or permission to use this material elsewhere. Figure 1. Caudal view of calf on presentation. The perineal mass is covered by the hyperemic and ulcerated, non-pigmented skin with pitting edema. The arrow points to the ventral commisure of the vulva, which is deviated at an angle to the left of midline by the perineal mass.