Comparative study of ultrasound and necroscopic analysis of canine fetuses presenting fetal hydrops

Abstract

Fetal hydrops is a pathological condition that is incompatible with the life of the affected animal and can lead to fetal distortions. The diagnosis is frequent in routine dog neonatology and can be made by gestational ultrasound and/or necroscopic study. To carry out this study, we analyzed three stillborn fetuses using echographic and anatomopathological techniques, from French bulldog dogs with hydrops. Ultrasound was used to check for the presence of fluid in tissues such as the subcutaneous tissue, the abdominal and thoracic cavity and the intraencephalic tissue. This was confirmed in the necroscopic study, which also revealed morphological changes in the brain and the presence of hydropericardium. This confirmed that ultrasound can accurately identify subcutaneous and intracavitary fluids, as well as verifying the brain morphology of fetuses. However, there is evidence of the limitations of the ultrasound technique, given that alterations such as hydropericardium and encephalic morphological changes were not detected during the ultrasound study.