England Gcw, Bright L, Pritchard B, Bowen I M, de Souza M B, Silva Ldm, Moxon R
School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington, UK.
Laboratory of Carnivore Reproduction, Veterinary School, Ceara State University, Fortaleza, Brazil.
Reprod Domest Anim. 2017 Apr;52 Suppl 2:202-207. doi: 10.1111/rda.12825. Epub 2016 Nov 3.
The reproductive potential of male animals is commonly evaluated using a breeding soundness examination incorporating B-mode ultrasound examination of the testes and recently Doppler ultrasound examination of the testicular arteries. These techniques may detect testicular normality or pathology, and while some measured parameters are associated with semen quality at the time of ultrasound examination, few studies have investigated the relationship with future semen quality. We hypothesized that B-mode and Doppler ultrasound measurements would correlate with future semen quality. Within two studies, we investigated the relationship between ultrasound measured testicular volume, testicular echogenicity, testicular homogeneity, subjective assessment of the testicular parenchyma, testicular artery resistance index, and pulsatility index with subsequent semen quality. Fifty-five normal fertile dogs of which 29 had stable semen quality and 26 had a subsequent decline in semen quality were examined during a 6-month period commencing 62 days after the ultrasound examination. Statistical analysis showed that no ultrasound parameters were predictive of future total sperm output or percentage live normal sperm. However, mean testicular echogenicity was positively related to future sperm motility (t = 2.202, p = .039). We conclude that quantitative ultrasound assessment of the appearance of the testicular parenchyma has potential for the evaluation of future semen quality in dogs.
雄性动物的繁殖潜力通常通过繁殖健全性检查来评估，该检查包括对睾丸进行B超检查，以及最近对睾丸动脉进行多普勒超声检查。这些技术可以检测睾丸的正常情况或病变，虽然一些测量参数与超声检查时的精液质量相关，但很少有研究探讨其与未来精液质量的关系。我们假设B超和多普勒超声测量结果与未来精液质量相关。在两项研究中，我们调查了超声测量的睾丸体积、睾丸回声、睾丸均匀性、睾丸实质的主观评估、睾丸动脉阻力指数和搏动指数与后续精液质量之间的关系。在超声检查62天后开始的6个月期间，对55只正常可育犬进行了检查，其中29只精液质量稳定，26只精液质量随后下降。统计分析表明，没有超声参数能够预测未来的总精子产量或活正常精子百分比。然而，平均睾丸回声与未来精子活力呈正相关（t = 2.202，p = .039）。我们得出结论，对睾丸实质外观进行定量超声评估有可能用于评估犬的未来精液质量。
