title: Assessment of fetal well-being in cattle by ultrasonography in normal, high-risk, and cloned pregnancies.
abstract: This study determined ultrasonographic parameters of fetuses and uterine adnexa in late pregnancy in normal, cloned, and high-risk pregnancies in relation to perinatal and neonatal outcome. Ten cows with normal pregnancies (CONTROL, mean pregnancy length 273 d), 10 sick cows with potentially compromised pregnancies (HIGH-RISK, mean pregnancy length 267 d), and 10 heifers with cloned pregnancies (CLONED, mean pregnancy length 274 d) were examined at more than 260 d of gestation. There was no difference in mean fetal heart rates among the groups. The cloned calves were heavier (57 ± 8 kg) than calves from CONTROL group (36 ± 7 kg), and calves from HIGH-RISK group (37 ± 13 kg) (P = 0.003). The diameter of the thoracic aorta was positively correlated (R = 0.62) with fetal birth weight in the CONTROL group (P = 0.01). Fetal activity was not associated with survival. The results suggest that transabdominal ultrasonographic assessment of the fetal well-being may serve as a potential tool for evaluation of the fetoplacental unit.
authors.affiliation: Département des Sciences Cliniques, Faculté de Médecine Vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec. s.buczinski@umontreal.ca
authors.forename: Sébastien
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Buczinski
authors.forename: Gilles
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Fecteau
authors.forename: Réjean C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Lefebvre
authors.forename: Lawrence C
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Smith
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D002417:Cattle / Q000502:physiology*; D019976:Cloning, Organism; D005260:Female; D005313:Fetal Death / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000662:veterinary; D005333:Fetus / Q000502:physiology*; D006340:Heart Rate, Fetal / Q000502:physiology; D010920:Placenta / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome / Q000662:veterinary; D011270:Pregnancy, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D016216:Ultrasonography, Prenatal / Q000379:methods / Q000662:veterinary*