Читать книгу Bovine Reproduction - Группа авторов - Страница 166

Diagnostic ultrasound has become the standard for medical imaging of soft tissue. The genital tract is an obvious target for this diagnostic modality and while ultrasound is routinely employed for evaluation of the female genital system its use in male domestic animals remains much less common. In the bull, for example, the routine bull breeding soundness examination (BBSE) as recommended by the Society for Theriogenology does not require ultrasonographic assessment of the genital system [1, 2]. In many cases of infertility in the bull, adequate diagnostic and prognostic information is obtained without the use of ultrasonography. A major advantage of ultrasonography is the ability to localize and objectively assess morphologic changes in tissue.

A thorough history, complete physical examination, and a BBSE should accompany an ultrasound examination of the bull's genital system. We routinely perform ultrasound evaluations for bulls with palpable or visible abnormalities of the genital system; those with pyospermia, hemospermia, azoospermia, or oligospermia; those with low semen volume; and bulls that persistently produce high numbers of morphologically abnormal or immotile sperm. As with any medical technology, the use of ultrasonography for examination of the bull will expand as veterinarians become more familiar with the modality and its applications.