Creatinine concentrations of accumulated intrauterine fluid to confirm the clinical diagnosis of urometra in mares.

This research article investigates the use of creatinine concentrations found in intrauterine fluid as a method for confirming clinical diagnosis of urometra in mares.

Background

• Urometra, characterized by urine accumulation in the uterus, is a reason for infertility in mares. This accumulation is due to the inflammation of the endometrium and detrimental effects on sperm.
• A challenge in detecting urometra arises when its occurrence is irregular or when the presence of urine in the uterus isn’t identifiable in the mares’ vagina.
• At present, no objective procedures exist to affirm the clinical diagnosis of intrauterine-fluid accumulations contaminated with urine.
• The researchers hypothesized that creatinine, a substance with high concentrations in the urine and negligible diffusion across cell membranes, should have increased concentration in mares suffering from urometra compared to healthy mares or those showing accumulation of intrauterine fluid with no urine contamination (non-urometra cases).

Methodology

• The study measured creatinine concentrations in intrauterine fluid of mares clinically diagnosed with urine accumulation (n=9), and mares with intrauterine fluid with no apparent presence of urine (n=10).

Results

• The study found creatinine concentrations to be considerably higher in mares that were clinically diagnosed with urometra (average concentration: 42.8±12.6, range 4.1-109.2 mg/dl), compared to those with no such condition (average concentration: 0.38±0.1, range 0-0.9 mg/dl).
• In addition, a significant decrease in creatinine concentrations was observed in two mares following urethral extension surgery.

Implications

• This research proposed a new approach to confirm a clinical diagnosis of urometra in mares.
• The authors expect that testing for creatinine in the uterine fluid of mares may potentially serve as a standard identification tool for diagnosing urometra and to verify the effectiveness of urogenital surgeries.