Angiography of ovarian and uterine vessels of the dog

Abstract

A thorough knowledge about anastomoses between uterine and ovarian arteries could have great impact in surgical interventions. The present study aimed to use an angiographic procedure to show the vascular relationship between uterus and ovaries, possible anastomoses between uterine arteries during pregnancy, blood supply to gestational sacs, and the vascular pattern in the uterus of a bitch with pyometra. Uteri from 6 dogs (3 non-pregnant, 2 pregnant, and one with a pyometra uterus) were collected after ovariohysterectomy. A suspension of barium sulfate was injected into the middle uterine artery and, dorso-ventral radiographs were taken. In non-pregnant uteri, a contrast medium flowed into the middle uterine artery and, after covering all of its branches, the medium entered the ovarian parenchymal vessels. In addition, in the 35-day pregnant uteri, by injecting the contrast medium into the middle uterine artery of one horn the contralateral middle uterine artery received the media once the arteries of the initial horn were filled. The results showed some anastomoses between arteries of the two horns at this age of the pregnancy. The blood circulation of the gestational sacs in each uterine horn started from the base of the horn and continued to the apex. In conclusion, there are anastomoses between uterine and ovarian arteries in non-pregnant, and between arteries of different uterine horns in pregnant bitch.