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Vertebrate reproductive science and technology
RESEARCH ARTICLE

187 EFFICIENCY OF DIAGNOSIS OF CLINICAL AND SUBCLINICAL ENDOMETRITIS IN CATTLE EVALUATED BY HYSTEROSCOPY

L. V. Madoz A , R. L de la Sota A , K. Susuki B , W. Heuwieser C and M. Drillich C
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Animal Reproduction Service, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, La Plata, Argentina;

B Pro VetSur, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, La Plata, Argentina;

C Clinic for Animal Reproduction, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany

Reproduction, Fertility and Development 22(1) 252-252 https://doi.org/10.1071/RDv22n1Ab187
Published: 8 December 2009

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of vaginoscopy and rectal palpation (palpable liquid in uterine horns) compared with hysteroscopy (presence of pus in the uterine lumen) for the diagnosis of clinical endometritis (CE), and hysteroscopy compared with endometrial cytology for the diagnosis of subclinical endometritis (SE) in postpartum dairy cows. Thirty Holstein cows between 20 and 35 days postpartum were examined for diagnosis of CE with a vaginal speculum, by rectal palpation, and by hysteroscopy; and examined for diagnosis of SE with hysteroscopy and endometrial cytology. Categorical data were analyzed with PROC CATMOD (SAS®, SAS Institute, Cary, NC, USA) and continuous data were analyzed with PROC GLM (SAS®, SAS Institute, Cary, NC, USA). Sensitivity, specificity, predicted value of a positive and negative result, and efficiency were calculated using Win Episcope® 2.0 software (Clive, College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK). Prevalence of CE diagnosed by vaginoscopy was 27%, by rectal palpation was 23%, and by hysteroscopy was 13%. When hysteroscopy, the only tool for direct examination of the endometrium, was used as the gold standard for diagnosis of CE, vaginoscopy had 100% sensitivity, 85% specificity, and 87% efficiency, and rectal palpation had 75% sensitivity, 85% specificity, and 83% efficiency. Prevalence of SE diagnosed by endometrial cytology was 35.3%. When endometrial cytology was used as the gold standard for diagnosis of SE, hysteroscopy had 11% sensitivity, 92% specificity, and 59% efficiency. In conclusion, vaginoscopy had higher sensitivity than, and similar specificity and efficiency to, rectal palpation for diagnosis of CE. Conversely, hysteroscopy, although having high specificity, had low sensitivity and efficiency for diagnosis of SE. Hysteroscopy proved to be efficient for diagnosis of CE but inefficient for diagnosis of SE.

The authors gratefully acknowledge the support of the study by World of Medicine (WOM), Berlin, Germany, for providing all endoscopic equipment and the cooperation with the dairy farm in Brandenburg, Germany. Vanina Madoz visit to the Freie Universität Berlin was supported by a fellowship from the Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst, DAAD.