Endometrial area of the blood flow as a marker of endometritis in equine.

The study explores the use of power Doppler ultrasound (PD) to measure uterine blood flow area (BFA) in order to indicate endometritis in mares and jennies. The findings show that this method differentiates between healthy and pathological uterine conditions and can effectively be used as a diagnostic tool.

Study Objectives and Methodology

• The primary goal of the research was to evaluate the potential of using power Doppler ultrasound (PD) to measure uterine blood flow area (BFA) as a marker for endometritis in mares and jennies.
• The researchers used this method to examine uterine BFA during both the oestrus and diestrus phases of the reproductive cycle.

Findings and Results

• The uterine BFA in healthy mares was found to be greater during oestrus than in diestrus, with the difference being statistically significant (p<0.001).
• In mares with endometritis, there were no observable differences in endometrial blood flow between the oestrus and diestrus stages.
• In contrast, the uterine blood flow in healthy jennies was not affected by the oestrus cycle.
• Both species exhibited an increase in endometrial BFA during pathological uterine conditions compared to healthy controls.
• The BFA was found to be a good marker of endometritis. The area under curve (AUC) in the estrus phase was 0.94 (p<0.001) and in the diestrus phase was 0.98 (p<0.001) for mares, and 0.91 (p<0.0001) for jennies.

Significance and Possible Applications

• The study’s observations suggest that power Doppler ultrasound, combined with computerized image analysis, has significant potential to act as a diagnostic tool for endometritis.
• Further investigation is needed to confirm these preliminary findings and refine the technique for practical use in the field.