Bovine Reproductive Ultrasonography: A Review

Abstract

The advent of ultrasonography over a decade ago has contributed tremendously in the field of bovine reproduction. Ultrasound imaging has shown that cattle exhibit 2 or 3 waves of follicular development during an estrous cycle. Ultrasonography allows monitoring of individual follicles as they grow and/or regress over time and patterns of follicular development can thus be determined with relative precision. Other important applications of ultrasonography in bovine reproduction includes; pregnancy diagnosis, fetal sex determination, folliculocenteses, diagnosis of abnormalities of the reproductive organs, monitoring of treatment of ovarian cysts, monitoring of postpartum genital resumption, ultrasound-guided centesis and male genital ultrasonography. Recent applications of ultrasonography in bovine reproduction includes doppler ultrasonography for genital blood flow and mammary ultrasonography. The use of ultrasonography is indispensable in most studies in which morphology (structure) and function are correlated. In this paper, the literature pertaining to the use of ultrasonography in bovine reproduction is reviewed. The applications and limitations of ultrasonography are highlighted. The non-invasive nature of ultrasonography makes it an excellent clinical and research tool in bovine reproduction.