CLINICAL AND RESEARCH APPLICATIONS OF REAL-TIME ULTRASONOGRAPHY IN BOVINE REPRODUCTION - A REVIEW

Transcrectal real-time ultrasonography has proved to be a rapid and re liable technique for studying reproductive functions in cattle. Throug h ultrasonography it is now established that follicular growth occurs in wave-like patterns during each estrous cycle. It has been shown tha t follicular growth and regression continue during early pregnancy, as well as in the postpartum anestrous period. Ultrasound has also helpe d us to understand the influence of dominant follicles on medium and s mall follicles. Among the numerous demonstrated applications of ultras onography, early pregnancy diagnosis, fetal sexing, and postpartum rep roductive management appear to be promising areas for immediate applic ation. The new information that has been generated through ultrasound has thrown light on hitherto poorly understood areas of ovarian follic ular dynamics, corpus luteum function, pregnancy establishment, and em bryonic development in cattle, thereby opening newer areas for researc h. Still there is great potential for the continued application of thi s technology to further our understanding of the reproductive processe s and to maximize reproductive efficiency of the bovine species. The s ignificant contributions of real-time ultrasonography to the study of bovine reproduction in general and its practical applications in parti cular are discussed in this paper. The need for taking up technology a ssessment studies and for the introduction of low-cost portable equipm ent are stressed. Literature search for this review was done by scanni ng Current Contents Series 1991-92, AGRICOLA 1980-92, and MEDLINE 1990 -92.