Surgical techniques for the serial sampling of cerebrospinal fluid and for electrocorticography in cattle

Technical note: An apparatus for catheterization of the lateral brain ventricle in Holstein cows

“…While the calf is in standing position or placed in sternum recumbency, application of stereotaxic tools alleviates the adjustment to the plane of the frontal bone. Surgical implantation of cannula-guided catheters into brain ventricles of calves enables serial sampling of cerebrospinal fluid or injection studies (Barlow et al, 1978;Leshin et al, 1990;Ames et al, 1995). Because these stereotaxic instruments were originally constructed for the head size of calves, their use for surgeries on the much larger heads of mature cattle is inappropriate.…”

“…Because these stereotaxic instruments were originally constructed for the head size of calves, their use for surgeries on the much larger heads of mature cattle is inappropriate. Furthermore, the more pronounced poll of cows compared with that of calves, differences in the topography of the brain in relation to the skullcap (Barlow et al, 1978), as well as broad sex and breed differences present further problems for a simple enlargement of calfspecific stereotaxic instruments. Studies on Jersey cows dispensed with the use of exact stereotaxic coordinates and a permanent catheter by implanting a large area septum in the frontal bone (Cox and Littledike, 1978).…”