Rare congenital nasal abnormality case

From the School of Veterinary Medicine at University College Dublin (UCD), researchers and clinicians recently published a case report in Veterinary Record, relating to a rare congenital nasal abnormality case. Diprosopus dirrhinus, or nasal duplication, was confirmed when an 11-week-old, 92kg Holstein Friesian heifer calf, from a commercial dairy farm, was referred to UCD Veterinary Hospital (UCDVH) for an assessment. The nasal deformation was present from birth, according to the farmer-owner, ‘but did not affect the overall health and growth rate of the calf compared to calves of the same age’.
This is a very rare case indeed, with just two similar cases described previously in Holstein calves, according to the report: one with triple nostrils and another with quadruple nostrils. This particular case, the authors said, adds to the limited literature, but also highlighted the role of imaging in diagnosis and surgical decision-making.

The nasal deformation was described as a ‘turbinate-like structure’ measuring approximately 14cm in length and 5-8cm in width, located 3-6cm dorsal to the nasal septum.

The veterinary team at UCDVH used computed tomography (CT) to help visualise and plan the surgical procedure to remove the abnormalities. This was done successfully under general anaesthesia. Histopathology confirmed that the structure contained respiratory epithelium, cartilage and bone consistent with nasal tissue.

The authors wrote that on a six-month follow-up phone call with the farmer, the calf was ‘described as thriving well, with good weight gain and no evidence of respiratory disease. The surgical site had healed well with a pale scar line visible over the bridge of the nose’.