Accuracy Of Pregnancy Diagnosis Research Articles

Accuracy of Ultrasonography in Early Pregnancy Diagnosis in Doe

The present study was undertaken to evaluate the accuracy of ultrasonography in early pregnancy diagnosis in goats. Ultrasonographic scanning with real time B-mode ultrasound machine having 5 MHz linear array transducer was performed on gravid uterus (n=24) obtained from slaughterhouse (Group I). Crown rump length (CRL) measured by ultrasound was found significantly different (p<0.05) with actual CRL measured after dissection in early pregnancy. However, age predicted by ultrasound through the measurement of CRL was found highly correlated (r=0.92) with age measured after dissection through CRL and the weight of fetus. Ages predicted by ultrasound through the measurement of trunk diameter (TD) and uterine diameter (UD) and ages measured after dissection were found highly and equally correlated (r=0.98) and did not differ significantly. Data from six does synchronized (Group II) with PGF2α (Estrumate) at 11 days apart were collected through ultrasound from 17 to 42 days post breding. The correlation between CRL and gestational age was high (r=0.97) in day 30 to 42 post breeding. A high coefficient of correlation (r=0.98) was also observed between predicated age by ultrasound and actual age calculated after kidding. The correlation between CRL and gestational age by the formula Y=(a+bX) i.e. Y=24.42+0.39 X where Y=gestational age and X=CRL, was recorded very high (r=0.99). Accuracy of ultrasonography was lowest on day 17 to 19 (66%) and reached 100% on day 34. Data from 30 does (group III) randomly subjected to only one time ultrasounds scanning to assess the accuracy of pregnancy diagnosis were also obtained. Ages predicted by TD and UD measurements were observed to be non-significantly different with actual age obtained after kidding and correlation between ages predicted by TD and UD measurement with actual age after kidding was found equally and highly correlated (r=0.98). The operator's accuracy in the whole experiment including all three groups was found to be 92%. The sensitivity was 93% and specificity was 86%. From the present study, it was observed that CRL was the most reliable parameter to find out gestational age in early pregnancy and the new formula derived was found very accurate to find out gestational age. TD and UD were also found to be equally reliable parameter to find out gestational age in mid and late stage of pregnancy through ultrasonography. It was concluded that ultrasonography by real time B mode with 5 MHz transrectal transducer was found to be reliable, safe and accurate and practicable means in diagnosing early pregnancy diagnosis as early as 25 days post breeding. (Asian-Aust. J. Anim. Sci. 2004. Vol 17, No. 6 : 760-768)

Early pregnancy diagnosis in ewes by means of transrectal realtime ultrasonography (short communication)

Abstract. This study was performed to determine the optimum time for early pregnancy diagnosis with transrectal scanning in ewes. A total of 42 ewes was examined, using a real-time 5 MHz linear-transducer from day 19 to 29 (Group I, n = 22) and from day 30 to 44 (Group II, n = 20) after AI or natural mating. Ultrasonic results were compared with lambing records. Accuracy, sensitivity, specivity, positive and negative predictive values for these tests were 77.3 %, 84.2 %, 33.3 %, 88.9 %, 25.0 % in Group I, and 80.0 %, 74.3 %, 85.7 %, 90.9 % and 53.8 % in Group II, respectively. No significant differences were seen between the accuracy and positive predictive values of Group I and II. It was concluded, that the accuracy of pregnancy diagnosis by real-time transrectal ultrasonography can be high already 19 to 29 after AI or natural mating.

Determination of early pregnancy and embryonic growth in goats by transrectal ultrasound scanning

Ultrasonography has been shown to be a useful tool for pregnancy diagnosis and the study of embryonic growth in mammals. The objectives of this study were 1) to evaluate the use of realtime B-mode ultrasonography for early pregnancy diagnosis in goats, 2) to define criteria for accurate diagnosis of pregnancy, and 3) to monitor the embryonic growth ultrasonically until Day 40 after mating. Estrus was synchronized in 16 cyclic Anglo-Nubian goats with a single injection of cloprostenol (125 μg, im). Estrous females were randomly assigned into 2 groups: 1) goats mated by a vasectomized male (n=5; MV group), and 2) goats mated by an intact male of proven fertility (n=11; MF group). Transrectal ultrasonographic examinations with a 5 MHz linear array transducer were performed from Days 13 to 40 post mating. The evaluated parameters included the appearance of nonechogenic areas in the uterus, presence of embryo(s), crown-rump length of embryo and embryonic heart rate (beats/min). On Day 18, the mean (±SEM) diameter of nonechogenic areas was 1.5±0.3 mm in the MV group and 4.0±0.5 mm in the MF group (P<0.01). In 36% of the pregnant does these areas were less than 3 mm. The mean (±SEM) day of the first detection by means of heartbeats of at least 1 embryo was 20.7±0.5 d (range, Days 19 to 23). From Days 19 to 38 of pregnancy, crown-rump length was best represented by a linear regression (Y = −2.23+0.13X; r 2=0.94; P<0.05). Crown-rump length on the day of the first detection of an embryo was 5.3±0.3 mm, reaching 34.2±0.6 mm on Day 40. Mean (±SEM) heartbeat rate was 168.3±2.8 beats/min on Day 21, decreasing to 158.3±2.0 beats/min on Day 40. Detection of the caprine embryo by ultrasonography and confirmation of its viability by heartbeats was shown to be a reliable method for early pregnancy diagnosis in Anglo-Nubian goats. Ultrasonic measurement of crown-rump length was useful in predicting the age of the embryo.

Monitoring the reproductive performance in Awassi Ewes using progesterone radioimmunoassay

Jugular serum progesterone (P-4) concentrations were assessed using radioimmunoassay (RIA) kits for about 1 year in 16 local Awassi ewes aged about 1 year and weighing on average 37.4 ± 4.9 (range 29.5–44.0 kg). Average pre-mating liveweight of animals was different ( P < 0.05) between animals and was 55.4 ± 4.7 (range 46.5–64.5 kg). There were no statistical differences ( P > 0.05) between animals in average basal pre-mating P-4 concentration, maximum P-4 concentration during the luteal phase in non-pregnant ewes and in the length of the gestation period. Average basal pre-mating P-4 concentration was 0.62 ± 0.44 (range 0–1.7 nmol l −1). Average maximum P-4 concentration during the luteal phase in non-pregnant ewes was 11.0 ± 3.3 (range 5.8–18 nmol l −1). Length of gestation period varied from 149 to 155 days with an average of 152 ± 2.3 days. Maximum P-4 concentration during gestation was different ( P < 0.05) between animals averaging 58.4 ± 20.9 (range 29.25–100 nmol l −1). The accuracy of pregnancy diagnosis at around 21 days post-mating using RIA was 100%. It was concluded that Awassi sheep in Syria have a long breeding season that could start as early as April and last through September. Therefore, ewes might be included in oestrous synchronisation programmes to give three lambs in 2 years. It was also concluded that P-4 concentration under 3.18 nmol l −1 is indicative of either anoestrous or follicular and early luteal phase of the oestrous cycle in Awassi ewes kept in Syria and that RIA could be used for P-4 determination and successful early diagnosis of pregnancy in Awassi sheep.

A Study of Early Pregnancy Factor Activity in Preimplantation

Early pregnancy factor (EPF), an Immunosuppressive substance, which appears in pregnant women's sera 48 h after fertilization, is a kind of pregnancy-specific protein. To determine whether the EPF activity could be a super early indicator of pregnancy, we used rosette inhibition assay to detect EPF activity in the sera, collected from 70 women 2-7 days after ovulation intending to conceive monitored by ultrasonography. Simultaneously we selected 40 non-pregnant sera and 12 early-pregnant sera as negative control and positive control, respectively. The results of this study demonstrated that EPF activity is detected in 35 women's sera out of 70 women within 2-7 days after ovulation, and 28 women out of the 35 were pregnant, which was known by follow-up, and 7 were not pregnant, possibly due to either false positive results or embryo loss because of preimplantation failure, thus causing no pregnancy. The other 35 out of 70 had no EPF activity and 34 of them were not pregnant, which was known by follow-up, but one case became pregnant, which was false negative result. Our study showed that diagnosis of the super early pregnancy could be made by detecting EPF activity in maternal serum within the time of preimplantation. The accuracy of pregnancy diagnosis by this method is 88.6%, with a false negative rate of 3.4% and a false positive rate of 17.1%. The beta-HCG level was measured from the above 70 women's sera in order to contrast EPF activity. All of the sera collected 2-6 days following ovulation indicated that there were lower beta-HCG values in very early pregnancy (> or = a5 mIU/ml). On the seventh day after ovulation, EPF activity was detected in 11 out of 15 sera with only 2 of them with a b-HCG level that reached or slightly surpassed that of the early pregnancy diagnosis (5 mIU/ml and 5.4 mIU/ml, respectively). This demonstrated that beta-HCG is not the earliest signal of pregnancy; otherwise the EPF activity is one that appears 2-6 days earlier than beta-HCG appears. We measured the progesterone level of the 48 sera from the 70 collected above within 2-7 days postovulation and found most of them reached the level of progesterone in the luteal phase (7.5-98.3 nmol/L). This indicated that ovulation had taken place in these women, which was in accordance with observations by ultrasonography. Our study showed that diagnosis (of 88.6%) of super early pregnancy could be made with an accuracy of 88.6% by detecting EPF activity in maternal serum within 2-days after ovulation. This offers a basis for pregnancy diagnosis for the women who attempt to terminate their pregnancy safely or who conceive unexpectedly, and it contributes to family-planning.

Early Pregnancy Diagnosis in the Sow by Fecal Gestagen Measurement Using a Bovine Milk Progesterone Qualitative Test EIA Kit.

An attempt was made to measure the qualitative fecal gestagen concentration in the sow using a commercial bovine milk progesterone qualitative test EIA kit (qualitative kit), which can measure the gestagen concentration in approximately 10 min. Additionally, the possibility of applying this method of gestagen concentration measurement to early pregnancy diagnosis in the sow was investigated. Feces were collected from the rectum of the sow, and 0.5 g of feces was placed in 20 ml of distilled water and stirred. The supernatant was used as the fecal solution, which was subjected to measurement by the qualitative kit. The accuracy of pregnancy diagnosis at 21-25 days after last mating for 111 sows was 97.6% (80/82) for positive cases and 100% (17/17) for negative cases. The overall pregnancy diagnosis accuracy, including 12 indeterminable cases, was 87.4% (97/111). A comparison of the diagnoses based on gestagen concentrations that were measured using the qualitative kit, and the fecal gestagen concentrations of identical samples that were measured using the quantitative kit showed close agreement: 17 cases diagnosed as negative pregnancy by the qualitative kit all had a gestagen concentration of less than 200 ng/g, while 79 of 82 cases diagnosed as positive pregnancy by the qualitative kit showed a gestagen concentration of over 200 ng/g. The results of this study showed that qualitative measurement of the fecal gestagen concentration in the sow using a bovine milk progesterone qualitative test EIA kit is a practical method for early pregnancy diagnosis.

Introduction to the new section “Clinical Laboratory in Emergency Medicine” Emergency department pregnancy testing

The rapid and accurate diagnosis of pregnancy is a necessity for emergency physicians. Physicians of the 1990s are fortunate to have available inexpensive, rapid pregnancy tests with virtually no false positives or negatives. The current basis of endocrine pregnancy tests is detection of Human Chorionic Gonadotrophin (HCG) in the serum or urine. The single HCG tests in combination with ultrasound, as well as serial HCGs, are also useful in the diagnosis of ectopic pregnancy. Serum progesterone, although at present not widely used in the emergency department, shows great promise as a test useful in the often difficult task of distinguishing ectopic and abnormal pregnancies from viable intrauterine pregnancies.

Pregnancy diagnosis in sows: enzyme immuno assay measurement of oestrone sulphate in plasma on day 25–30 after insemination in comparison to ultrasound scanning on day 28

The overall accuracy of plasma oestrone sulphate (E 1S) and ultrasound pregnancy diagnosis in a group of 953 inseminated sows was 99.0% and 91.2%, respectively. The accuracy of pregnancy diagnosis based on E 1S (day 25–30) for pregnant sows (test sensitivity) as well as that for non-pregnant sows (test specificity) was high (99.4% and 96.9%, respectively). For A-mode ultrasound pregnancy diagnosis (day 28) the test sensitivity was also high (96.2%), but the test specificity was low (55.0%). Litter size at farrowing (total born) was significantly correlated with the E 1S concentration on days 25–28, but the correlation coefficients were rather low (0.20–0.42). It is concluded that pregnancy diagnosis based on E 1S measurement between days 25 and 30 is highly sensitive and specific, but the E 1S concentration can not be used to predict litter size accurately. Especially the high test specificity, together with the ease and rapidity of performance of the EIA procedure, adds considerable to the potential value of E 1S measurement for routine pregnancy diagnosis in pigs.

Pregnancy and ovulation detection in bison (Bison bison) assessed by means of urinary and fecal steroids.

Sexually mature bison (Bison bison) cows were tested for both pregnancy and ovulation by means of urinary steroid metabolites and fecal steroids. The accuracy of pregnancy diagnosis was determined among 18 bison cows, in approximately the third month of gestation, by means of urinary pregnanediol-3 delta-glucuronide (PdG), urinary estrone conjugates (E1C), and fecal total estrogens (TE). Urinary PdG was 100% accurate, urinary E1C was 89% accurate, and fecal TE was 100% accurate in predicting pregnancy. Fecal progesterone (P4) and TE, as well as urinary E1C and PdG concentrations all increased from conception (August) through January, but significant differences were not apparent until November. During the rutting season ovulation was detected by increases in either urinary PdG or fecal P4 concentrations. Both pregnancy and ovulation were detected in uncaptured bison with reasonable accuracy by means of urinary and fecal steroids or their metabolites.

Assessment of pregnancy in Bergamasca ewes by analysis of plasma progesterone

The accuracy of early pregnancy diagnosis, based on blood plasma progesterone concentration 18 days after natural mating (PG18), was studied in 112 Bergamasca ewes. The possibility of improving efficiency of diagnosis by measuring the progesterone concentration on the day of mating (PGM) was also considered. Hormone concentration was determined by solid immunoenzymatic assay (ELISA). Pregnancy diagnosis based on PG 18 was 92% reliable; 100% of ewes having progesterone levels of < 1 ng/ml did not give birth, 95% of those with ⩾ 1.5 ng/ml levels were pregnant, 9% of the flock were between these limits, and half of them lambed. By associating the difference between PG18 and PGM levels with PG18 < 1 ng/ml, the accuracy of pregnancy diagnosis increased significantly ( P < 0.05), as a large number of animals incorrectly judged as positive, due to the erroneous recording of the date of mating, or because of the presence of basal progesterone levels higher than usually found in the breed, could be identified.

Comparison of three methods of pregnancy diagnosis in alpacas and llamas

This study was conducted at the La Raya Research Station of IVITA (15° South latitude and 71° West longitude, 4250 m elevation) with 50 alpacas and 20 llamas, 3 to 8 y of age and having at least one previous pregnancy. The alpacas were bred to fertile males for 20 min twice in the same day. The llamas were selected at random from a flock bred to fertile males for 32 d. Accuracy of the following three methods of pregnancy diagnosis were compared: ultrasound, palpation per rectum, and estrous behaviour using teaser males. The same animals were used to test all three methods. Using teaser males with alpacas 84 and 88% accurate diagnoses were obtained at 70 and 125 d of pregnancy, respectively. With llamas, 85 and 95% accuracy was obtained at 75 and 125 d of pregnancy, respectively. Using the ultrasound method, the accuracy of pregnancy diagnosis was 92 and 100% at 80 and 75 d of gestation in alpacas and llamas, respectively. This rate of accuracy fell to 60% as the stage of pregnancy advanced in both species. When palpation per rectum was performed, 100% of pregnancies were diagnosed accurately. In alpacas, palpation was statistically more accurate (P < 0.05) than the ultrasound and estrous behaviour methods, which failed to differ statistically. In llamas, no differences were found among the three methods. No statistical differences (P > 0.05) were found among animal species in any one of the methods tested.

Oestrus during pregnancy in the cow

Oestrus during pregnancy has several important practical implications for herd management: in the absence of accurate pregnancy diagnosis, animals which show oestrus may be thought to be repeat breeders and sold as infertile. Alternatively, the insemination of already pregnant cows may result in the loss of the embryo or fetus, and the consequent lengthening of the calving interval.&#x0D; The mechanism responsible for the exhibition of oestrus during pregnancy is not known. In the oestrus cycle in non-pregnant cows, hormonal changes are responsible for the manifestation of oestrus behavior, but no information is available on the hormonal status of the pregnant cows showing oestrus. A method for the diagnosis of oestrus during pregnancy is desirable; the present study was designed to examine the potential use of the characteristics of the cervical mucus, in particular the ferning pattern, and the concentration of progesterone in milk. The characteristics of the behavior of cows showing oestrus during pregnancy, especially their interactions with other cows and the bull, were also studied.

Practical uses of ultrasound in early pregnancy in cattle.

Using a 'real-time' ultrasound scanner with a 3.5 MHz rectal transducer, a herd of 80 Friesian cows were scanned at weekly intervals during early pregnancy to assess the accuracy of pregnancy diagnosis, and the accuracy of twin detection. The growing fetuses were also measured to determine the relationship between crown-rump length and age. The accuracy of detection of pregnancy was inversely proportional to the age of the cow (r -0.967), the accuracy of detection of twinning was 100 per cent and there was strong correlation between fetal crown-rump length and age (r 0.98).

Applications of ultrasonography in reproduction in sheep and goats

Systems using ultrasonography have been used to diagnosis pregnancy and, in some cases, fetal numbers in small ruminants for 2 decades. Now, real-time B mode ultrasound systems are available that, if used correctly, can improve the accuracy of pregnancy diagnosis, fetal counts and fetal viability over previous ultrasound systems (A-mode). Using real-time, the diagnosis of pregnancy can be made as early as 25 days post breeding or near term. Real-time systems can help diagnose reproductive tract disease in both the female and male.

Comparison of On-Farm and Laboratory Milk Progesterone Assays for Identifying Errors in Detection of Estrus and Diagnosis of Pregnancy

A field study was conducted in 10 commercial dairy herds to test the efficacy of a rapid enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to identify errors in detection of estrus and diagnosis of pregnancy. Milk samples were collected at the milking following detection of estrus and on d 21 postinsemination. Progesterone was measured on-farm by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and in the laboratory by radioimmunoassay. Agreement between the two methods of progesterone analysis (n = 820) was 89.8%. There were 93 cows (18.7%) by laboratory analysis and 126 cows (25.4%) by on-farm analysis for which concentration of progesterone in the sample collected at suspected estrus (n = 497) was higher than normal estrual values. Exclusion of these cases increased the overall accuracy of pregnancy diagnosis by 6.8 and 6.4% for laboratory and on-farm methods. Overall agreement between pregnancy diagnosis by milk progesterone at d 21 postinsemination and diagnosis by return to estrus or palpation of reproductive organs was 80.5 and 75.8% for laboratory and on-farm methods (75.0% and 69.7% for pregnant cows and 94.5 and 93.9% for nonpregnant cows). These results indicate that an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for milk progesterone performed on-farm was equal in accuracy to a laboratory radioimmunoassay for identifying errors in detection of estrus and diagnosis of pregnancy.

Reproductive performance of female goats given progestagen associated with PMSG and/or HMG in deep anestrus

During deep anestrus and after a 21-day fluorogestone acetate (FGA) treatment, 200 pluriparous lactating Alpine goats were given randomly one of four treatments: (A) 500 IU of pregnant mare serum gonadotropin (PMSG) 48 h before sponge removal; (B) 500 IU of PMSG 48 h before sponge removal and an ampoule of human menopausal gonadotropin (HMG) at sponge removal; (C) two ampoules of HMG at sponge removal; (D) four ampoules of HMG at sponge removal. All the goats were mated naturally during estrus. The percentage of goats kidding (fertility rate) was 6, 34, 40 and 36% for groups A, B, C, and D, respectively; the number of kids/pregnant female (prolificacy) averaged between 1.33 and 1.72. The accuracy of pregnancy diagnosis on the basis of plasma progesterone concentration 20 to 22 days after mating was not particularly satisfactory, mainly because many pregnant goats, and especially group A goats, showed abnormally prolonged luteal activity. The determination of total estrone 60 days after mating gave almost 100% overall accuracy.

An evaluation of four ultrasonic pregnancy detection methods currently used commercially for sheep

A number of mechanical methods are available for the diagnosis of pregnancy and the determination of foetal numbers in sheep. The application of four ultrasonic systems currently used commercially was investigated.The ‘scanning window’ in the ewe is apparent between approximately 45 to 100 days of pregnancy. Highly accurate pregnancy diagnosis and prediction of foetal numbers have been reported using the real time scanning technique. However, considerable variation in expertise can exist between operators while further discrepancies emanate from the different methods used to calculate predicted success rates. The estimation of operator accuracy from trial work is complex since errors may arise from both over- and under-estimation of foetal numbers resulting in confusion when pregnant ewes are subsequently grouped incorrectly. A true estimate of operator accuracy should reflect relative foetal numbers predicted.

Accuracy of pregnancy diagnosis and prediction of foetal numbers in sheep with linear-array real-time ultrasound scanning.

Pregnancy diagnosis was carried out in sheep by means of transabdominal linear-array real-time ultrasound scanning. Animals were restrained standing, and the transducer was placed on the hairless area of the ventral abdominal wall just in front of the udder. Of a total of 818 tests, 724 were performed between days 29 and 89 of pregnancy, 598 animals subsequently lambed and 126 were non-lambing animals. Only 8 of these tests were wrong: 3 false positive and 5 false negative diagnoses. Sensitivity, specificity, positive- and negative predictive values for these tests were 99.2%, 97.6%, 99.5%, and 96% respectively. There was evidence to indicate that the three false positive tests were caused by foetal mortality or unobserved abortions that took place after testing. Only 2 of the 5 false negative tests were carried out after day 39 of gestation. Counting of foetal numbers (1, 2 or 3) was performed in only some animals (n = 210) between days 45 and 77 of gestation. Three groups of animals (A: 89 ewes; B: 27 PMSG-treated ewes; C: 94 ewes) were analyzed separately. Overall accuracy of all predictions was 83.1%, 37.0% and 78.7% for the 3 groups respectively. Animals in group B produced only 3 or more lambs. Sensitivity of the countings of singles, twins and triplets or more were 90.4%, 90.4% and 50% respectively for the animals from group A and 91.9%, 86% and 21.4% for the animals from group C.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Real-time ultrasonic scanning in the diagnosis of pregnancy and the estimation of gestational age in cattle.

Diagnoses of pregnancy were made on 110 Hereford cross Friesian and 69 blue grey (white shorthorn cross Galloway) cows between 92 and 202 days after last service using a real-time ultrasonic scanning instrument with a 3.5 MHz rectal transducer. Of the 174 cows which subsequently calved, one was wrongly diagnosed as non-pregnant. Of the five cows which did not subsequently calve two were diagnosed as pregnant and may in fact have been pregnant at the time of scanning. The overall level of accuracy of pregnancy diagnosis was 98.3 per cent. In further trials with 16 Hereford cross Friesian and 16 blue grey cows scanned at regular intervals between 20 and 140 days of gestation, pregnancy was diagnosed with confidence from 30 days, and relationships were established whereby gestational age could be estimated from measurements of certain uterine and fetal dimensions. Crown-rump length provided the most precise estimate of gestational age (residual sd +/- 4.5 days) and uterine diameter the least (+/- 12.6 days) with head length and the diameters of trunk, head and nose being intermediate (+/- 6.9 to 8.7 days).

An enzymeimmunoassay of serum oestrone sulphate and its application to early pregnancy diagnosis in pigs

A practical enzymeimmunoassay of serum oestrone sulphate was developed and applied to an early pregnancy diagnosis in sows. Blood samples were collected from 238 sows on days 15 to 26 after mating (day 0 = day of last service). Serum oestrone sulphate concentrations of 0·9 ng/ml or higher were indicative of pregnancy, which was confirmed by parturition or abortion. The accuracy of pregnancy diagnosis by enzymeimmunoassay was 100% ( 151 151 ) between days 17 and 26 after mating, but only 8·2% ( 6 73 ) for non-pregnant animals up to day 19. The negative test was 78·6% accurate ( 11 14 ) between days 20 and 26. Thus the correct diagnosis of pregnancy in sows by serum oestrone sulphate concentration was possible on days 20 to 26 after mating with a total accuracy of 97·8% ( 135 138 ). The enzymeimmunoassay for measurement of serum oestrone sulphate may be a practical tool for early pregnancy diagnosis in sows.