title: Characteristics of bovine early puerperal uterine contractility recorded under farm conditions.
abstract: A non-invasive, digital technique was used to measure and quantify intrauterine pressure (IUP) changes in early postpartum dairy cows kept under farm conditions in order to document physiological changes in uterine contractility after uncomplicated calvings. In addition, possible relationships between characteristics of uterine contractility and blood ionized calcium (Ca(2+))-concentrations were investigated. Recordings of uterine contractility were made by using a transcervically inserted open tip catheter in 12 healthy cows during their first 48h after calving. The IUP recording technique appeared easily applicable under farm conditions. Although mean frequency (FREQ), amplitude (AMP) and area under the curve (AUC) of the myometrial contractions significantly decreased due to time, untreated early postpartum cows showed a high variability in characteristics of uterine contractility. There was no correlation between blood Ca2+ -concentrations and any of the contractility parameters.
authors.affiliation: Department of Farm Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, 3584 CL Utrecht, Yalelaan 7, The Netherlands. csbajcsy@univet.hu
authors.forename: Arpád Csaba
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Bajcsy
authors.forename: Ottó
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Szenci
authors.forename: Arie
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Doornenbal
authors.forename: Gijsbert C
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: van der Weijden
authors.forename: Csaba
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Csorba
authors.forename: László
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kocsis
authors.forename: Imre
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Szucs
authors.forename: Stig
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ostgard
authors.forename: Marcel A M
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Taverne
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000097:blood; D002413:Cations, Divalent; D002417:Cattle / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D049590:Postpartum Period / Q000502:physiology*; D011312:Pressure; D014590:Uterine Contraction / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D002413:Cations, Divalent; D002118:Calcium