Examination of Foetal Organs with Real Time Ultrasonography and Initial Steps in 4D Ultrasonography in Dog

Introduction - Pregnancy diagnosis and examination of reproductive organs by real time ultrasonography has developed quickly for the last decade. The appearance of high frequency transducers and imaging equipments gives a possibility of visualising foetal organs during successive stages of pregnancy. Recent studies demonstrate the determination of gestational age (Luvoni and Beccaglia 2006; Luvoni and Grioni 2000; Son et al. 2000).

Objectives - The aim of this study was to compare the results of our experiments with the equations and data tables appearing in technical literature and to check the accuracy of measurements.

Materials and Methods - During the gestation period we observed the inner diameter of the chorionic cavity (ICC), the width of the placenta, the yolk sack, the amniotic fluid at the rump of the foetus among the extra-foetal structures, and we also measured the biparietal diameter (BP), the abdominal diameter (AD), the crown-rump length, the cranio-caudal diameter of the eyes, the diameter of the brain chambers, the length of the femur, the head, and kidneys, and the foetal heart rate among foetal structures. Aloka SDD 3500 equipment with 7,5-10 MHz convex transducer was used at dogs from different breeds and at different stages of pregnancy. The examination was performed in dorsal recumbence or, at the end of pregnancy, in lateral recumbence to avoid compression of large abdominal vessels. [...]