Matsui Motozumi, Miyamoto Akio
Department of Clinical Veterinary Science, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro 080-8555, Japan.
Vet J. 2009 Sep;181(3):232-40. doi: 10.1016/j.tvjl.2008.02.027. Epub 2008 Aug 6.
Transrectal real-time ultrasonography (US) has been developed as a research and practical tool in bovine reproduction. Non-invasive US observations have made it possible to provide real-time and serial analyses of ovarian morphological changes and fetal development and have generated new information on reproductive physiology during the bovine oestrous cycle and pregnancy. This has greatly contributed to an understanding of the real-time dynamics of follicular development. US has also allowed for more accurate diagnosis compared with rectal palpation in reproductive management in cattle. Practical applications of US include early diagnosis of pregnancy, identification of twin fetuses, detection of ovarian and uterine pathologies and determination of fetal sex. In recent years, local blood flow has been analysed in individual ovarian follicles and the corpus luteum (CL) in the cow using colour Doppler US. From these observations, it has been found that (1) the blood supply to follicles is closely related to follicular growth, atresia and ovulation, (2) the blood supply to the CL increases in parallel with its growth, and (3) there is an acute increase in blood flow in the mature CL prior to luteal regression. Colour Doppler US may provide an estimate of the physiological status of follicles and corpora lutea. For example, images of blood flow can be used to assess the thickness of the follicular wall and provide a differential diagnosis of follicular and luteal cysts. Assessment of the area of blood flow in the CL using colour Doppler imaging may offer a useful adjunct in estimating CL function, which could be applied to the diagnosis of non-pregnancy and fetal loss. The number of small follicles which have blood flow at the start of gonadotrophin treatment may be a useful index to predict the superovulatory response. With improvements in portability and cost-effectiveness, the evaluation of ovarian blood flow by colour Doppler US is likely to become widely used as a diagnostic tool for monitoring ovarian function in dairy cattle.
经直肠实时超声检查（US）已发展成为牛繁殖领域的一种研究和实用工具。非侵入性超声观察使得对卵巢形态变化和胎儿发育进行实时和连续分析成为可能，并产生了有关牛发情周期和妊娠期间生殖生理学的新信息。这极大地有助于理解卵泡发育的实时动态。与直肠触诊相比，超声在牛繁殖管理中也能实现更准确的诊断。超声的实际应用包括早期妊娠诊断、双胎胎儿识别、卵巢和子宫病变检测以及胎儿性别判定。近年来，利用彩色多普勒超声对奶牛单个卵巢卵泡和黄体（CL）的局部血流进行了分析。从这些观察中发现：（1）卵泡的血液供应与卵泡生长、闭锁和排卵密切相关；（2）黄体的血液供应随其生长而平行增加；（3）在黄体退化前，成熟黄体的血流会急剧增加。彩色多普勒超声可提供对卵泡和黄体生理状态的评估。例如，血流图像可用于评估卵泡壁厚度，并对卵泡囊肿和黄体囊肿进行鉴别诊断。利用彩色多普勒成像评估黄体中的血流面积，可能在估计黄体功能方面提供有用的辅助手段，这可应用于未妊娠和胎儿丢失的诊断。在促性腺激素治疗开始时具有血流的小卵泡数量可能是预测超数排卵反应的有用指标。随着便携性和成本效益的提高，通过彩色多普勒超声评估卵巢血流可能会广泛用作监测奶牛卵巢功能的诊断工具。
