Clinical Presentation and Diagnostic Challenges of Congenital Thoracoabdominal Wall Defects in Dogs: Insights from a Case Series and Literature Synthesis

Abstract

Simple Summary Congenital defects of the thoracic and abdominal body wall are rare in dogs, yet they can be severe and difficult to classify. Veterinarians often use human medical terminology, such as Cantrell syndrome, amniotic band syndrome, and body stalk anomaly, to describe these conditions. However, many affected animals exhibit features that overlap with more than one syndrome. In this study, we examined three new cases of canine body wall defects and reviewed 17 published cases to better understand how these defects develop and how they should be diagnosed. Our findings suggest that these syndromes form a continuum rather than distinct categories. The timing of embryonic disruption and the appearance of the umbilical cord are especially important for distinguishing syndromic from nonsyndromic defects. Based on these insights, we created a practical diagnostic decision tree to help clinicians evaluate affected neonates, even when only partial information is available. Our research underscores the necessity of clearer diagnostic guidelines and enhanced documentation of congenital body wall defects in veterinary medicine. Abstract Congenital thoracoabdominal wall defects in dogs are uncommon and challenging to classify due to their overlapping anatomical and developmental features. This study analyzes three original canine cases alongside 17 published cases to clarify the relationships among Cantrell syndrome (CS), amniotic band syndrome (ABS), and body stalk anomaly (BSA). All of the original cases exhibited thoracoabdominal involvement with variations in umbilical cord morphology and associated anomalies. A comparative analysis revealed that these conditions form a syndromic continuum rather than distinct entities, influenced by the timing and mechanism of embryonic disruption. Early developmental insults were associated with multisystem malformations resembling CS or BSA, whereas later vascular disruptions produced more localized defects, such as gastroschisis. Umbilical cord morphology emerged as a key diagnostic discriminator across cases. Based on these findings, we developed an anatomically driven diagnostic decision tree to support clinical evaluation when information is incomplete. This study emphasizes the importance of integrating embryologic context with anatomical assessment and identifies significant gaps in molecular and genetic data. A developmental continuum model offers a more flexible, clinically meaningful framework for diagnosing congenital body wall defects in dogs.