الفهرس Only 14 pages are availabe for public view
 |  | from | 131 |  |  |
| | | from | 131 | | |
Abstract
Summary
This study aimed to describe the echogenic pictures of the most common pathological ovarian structures and to characterize the echogenic characters of various pathological conditions of the uterus and to record the incidence of the most common pathological disorders of the reproductive tract in both native cows and buffaloes. The normal ovarian structures and normal uterine findings were firstly identified by the ultrasound to acquire good practice for diagnosis of any infertility problem.
In this study, the ultrasonographical examination was carried out on slaughtered female genitalia and living animals. The slaughtered female genitalia were collected from local slaughterhouse, near Assuit Governorate (Buffaloes, n=214 and native cows, n=116). The living animals included 238 buffalo-cows which hospitalized for gynaecological examination in Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, faculty of Vet. Med., Assiut University as well as 154 native cows housed in the Military Farm, Assiut governorate. The slaughtered house materials and the living animals were carefully examined for detection of normal and abnormal ovarian, uterine and vaginal findings. The obtained results revealed that:
1- Ultrasonography of the normal female genital tract
1- The follicles appeared as black, roughly circumscribed areas.
2- The blood vessel may be confused with small follicles. Moving the transducer, the blood vessels, unlike follicles, could be traced during scanning.
3- In contrast to the liquid-filled follicles, the corpus luteum has a granular echogenic structure. The echotexture varied according to stages of the estrus cycle. a)- During metestrus, it was less homogeneous, less in density than the developed CL (during diestrus) and the center contained scattered hyper-echogenic white spot.
b)- During diesturs, it was more homogeneous, less in echogenicity than during metestrus and proestrus giving granular, gray image, with distinct border.
c)- During proestrus, it was hyper-echogenic, less homogeneous and resembling the echogenicity of ovarian stroma (diffuse white image) with faint border.
4- The ultrasonographic images of uterus were varied according to stages of the estrus cycle.
a)-During estrus, the uterus was characterized by a high echotexture. The endometrium and the myometrium appeared as hyper-echogenic structures (bright image) with accumulation of the fluid inside the uterine lumen that appeared as non-echogenic. The amount of fluid in cow was greater than that in buffalo. The uterine lumen appeared either non-echogenic black line when the uterus was scanned longitudinally, or small black spot when scanned transversally.
b)- During metestrus, the uterus resembled as in case of estrus.
c)- During diestrus, the uterus characterized by low echotexture, the myometerium was more echoic (brighter) than the endometrium and there was no fluid inside the uterine lumen. It was homogenously gray and the thickness of uterine wall was decreased. The uterine lumen during diestrus appeared as hyper-echogenic white line when the uterus was scanned longitudinally.
2- Ultrasonography of the abnormal female genital tract
1-The follicle theca cyst had hyper-echogenic very thin wall (less than 2 mm) with uniformly non-echogenic cavity without reflections. It shows no particular organization with absence of echogenic rim around the edge of the cyst.
2- The follicle lutein cyst had hyper-echogenic thick wall (more than 2 mm). The wall has the same echogenicity of the luteal tissue, the non-echogenic antrum has internal network of echoes, which appeared as gray patches within the antrum and long inner cyst wall. The echogenic rim of tissue could be seen around the edge of the cyst.
3- The luteal tissue of the wall of cystic corpora lutea produced the same echogenicity as luteal tissue of compact normal corpora lutea.
4- The central area was usually oval in shape, seldom round, and was located in the middle of CL.
5-The echogenicity of the central cavity, being fluid filled, and similar to that of follicles. Slight reflections could be found in a few cases.
6- For differentiation between cystic corpora lutea and ovarian follicles, the fluid filled antrum of follicle was separated from highly non-echogenic ovarian tissue by a thin wall. The fluid-filled cavities of cystic corpora lutea were surrounded by a thick wall of luteal tissue which was of weak echogenicity.
7-The most sonographic indication of endometritis was the accumulation of fluids inside the uterine lumen. The amount of this fluid varied according to the severity of the condition.
a)- In mild cases, a few fluid-filled pockets will be found and there was no uterine lumen.
b)- In sever cases of endometritis, it was characterized by presence of frank collections of fluid with distend the entire uterus.
c)- There was an increase in the thickness of the endometrium and myometrium resulting in enlarged thick hyperechoic wall.
8- In pyometra, the uterus was folded, thickened wall and extreme dilated with highly echogenic thick content. It highly reflected snowy particles, which become intense towards the ventral aspects of the uterus.
9- In sever cases of pyometra, the echogenicity of uterine content was greater than that of the uterine wall, while in less sever cases, the echogenicity of the uterine content was less or resembled the echogenicity of uterine wall.
10- In hydrometra, the uterus was located in the caudal part of the abdominal cavity, with thick hyper-echogenic wall. The uterine content consist of hypo-echogenic fluid containing diffuse snowy particles without placentomes or fetus. The echogenicity of uterine content was less than uterine wall.
11- In uterine adhesion, the uterus appeared as irregular structures that containing hyperechoic lines and spots with thick hyper-echogenic area at the site of uterine adhesion. It was difficult to distinguish the uterine horns.
12- The first indication for an imminent embryonic mortality is the small far- date size of embryo and decreased fluid of the concepts, conclusive evidence for the death of embryo is the cessation of heartbeats.
13- The vaginal cyst appeared ultasonographically as round, non-echogenic, fluid filled structure within hyper-echogenic dense capsule. The fluid was clear and free from fiberinous or echoic spots.
14- The vaginal tumor appeared as thick, encapsulated with echoic fibrous capsule. It had irregular margin. Its content had heterogeneous echogenicity that varies from non-echogenic to hyper-echogenic character.