Of or pertaining to a vertebra.
- v. abscess — commonly associated with navel infection in the young. Usually infection delivered by the hematogenous route to the cervical or lumbar vertebral bodies or to meninges. Compression of the spinal cord by the abscess or a pathological fracture causes paraplegia or quadriplegia depending on location. See also vertebral osteomyelitis (below).
- v. asymmetry — a contributing factor in enzootic equine incoordination.
- v. body — see vertebra.
- v. body osteosclerosis — occurs together with vertebral osteophyte development in old bulls with thyroid C-cell tumors.
- v. canal — see spinal canal.
- v. column — see spinal column.
- complex v. malformation (CVM) — a recently recognized autosomal recessive lethal defect in Holstein cattle. Produces early embryonic death, late term abortions, premature birth and neonatal mortality in liveborn calves. The morphological expression of CVM is wide but vertebral (cervical and thoracic) malformation and arthrogryposis (carpal and tarsal joints) are almost always present. Vertebral malformations may be clinically apparent in some calves and can be detected by radiography. A wide spectrum of other congenital defects may be present.
- v. curves — the cervical, thoracic and lumbar curves.
- v. exostosis — may be the result of fractures, and in pigs, hypovitaminosis A. May cause compression of spinal cord and paralysis.
- v. fracture — often due to minor trauma in bone weakened by osteoporosis or osteomyelitis. In neonates may be dystocia-related. Usually causes acute onset of flaccid paralysis.
- v. instability — see canine wobbler syndrome.
- v. joints — are of two types, symphyseal between the vertebral bodies, and synovial between the facets of the neural arch.
- v. malformation — includes block vertebra and defective alignment such as scoliosis, kyphosis, torticollis. See also complex vertebral malformation (above).
- v. osteomyelitis — results in pathological fracture causing acute paralysis, or spinal cord abscess causing slower onset paralysis. Hematogenesis spread from omphalophlebitis is common so that disease is most often seen in young patients.
- v. osteophytes — see spondylosis deformans.
- v. stenosis — compression of the spinal cord by a vertebral canal which has too small a diameter.
- v. subluxation — largely restricted to the cervical vertebrae where looser ligaments permit more intervertebral movement.