College of Veterinary Medicine and Research Institute for Veterinary Science, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Radiotherapy and Oncology Centre, Gleneagles Hospital Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
Vet Med Sci. 2024 Mar;10(2):e31386. doi: 10.1002/vms3.1386.
Spinal deformities, including kyphoscoliosis, have been consistently documented in cetaceans. However, the majority of reported cases of kyphoscoliosis in cetaceans pertain to bottlenose dolphins, with limited information on its occurrence in narrow-ridged finless porpoise (NFP) (Neophocaena asiaeorientalis).
In November 2021, two deceased NFPs were discovered stranded on the shores of the Republic of Korea. As part of the pioneer stranded cetacean imaging programme in the Republic of Korea, both carcasses underwent post-mortem computed tomography (PMCT), revealing congenital and degenerative traumatic kyphoscoliosis, respectively.
Although kyphoscoliosis may not have directly caused the demise of these individuals, it is hypothesized that the reduced spinal range of motion and mobility associated with kyphoscoliosis may have contributed to their deaths.
This case report presents the first documented cases of kyphoscoliosis in two NFPs stranded in Korean waters, utilizing PMCT as an efficient methodology for assessing skeletal abnormalities in cetaceans.
包括脊柱侧凸在内的脊柱畸形在鲸目动物中一直有被记录。然而，大多数报道的鲸目动物脊柱侧凸病例都与宽吻海豚有关，而关于窄脊江豚（Neophocaena asiaeorientalis）发生脊柱侧凸的信息有限。
2021 年 11 月，在韩国海岸发现了两头死亡的窄脊江豚。作为韩国开创性的搁浅鲸目动物成像计划的一部分，这两头尸体都进行了死后计算机断层扫描（PMCT），分别显示出先天性和退行性创伤性脊柱侧凸。
尽管脊柱侧凸可能没有直接导致这些个体的死亡，但据推测，与脊柱侧凸相关的脊柱活动范围和活动能力的降低可能促成了它们的死亡。
本病例报告介绍了在韩国水域搁浅的两头窄脊江豚中首次记录到的脊柱侧凸病例，利用 PMCT 作为评估鲸目动物骨骼异常的有效方法。
