A case of blind vagina in a crossbred lusitano mare

This report describes a case of blind vagina diagnosed during a pre-breeding evaluation of a 5-year-old crossbred Lusitano mare. This mare was mated twice during the previous breeding season but remained open. Clinical evaluation revealed the existence of follicles in the ovaries and an enlarged uterus. An ultrasound examination showed that a granular free-floating fluid distended the uterus. No connection was detected between the uterus and the vagina and a presumptive diagnosis of congenital vaginal obstruction was raised. On vaginal examination it was noticed that the vagina was short in depth and ended as a blind pouch. The typical cervical morphology was not observed. Careful evaluation of the clinical situation, both during the follicular and the luteal phases of the mareʹs oestrous cycle, lead to a diagnosis of segmental aplasia of the cranial vagina. The mare had a normal karyotype on cytogenetic examination [64XX].