Veterinary Archives, Vol. 80 No. 2, 2010.
Original scientific paper
Estimation of foetal age using ultrasonic measurements of different foetal parameters in red Sokoto goats (Capra hircus)
Innocent C. Nwaogu
; Department of Veterinary Anatomy, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria
Kenneth O. Anya
; Department of Veterinary Obstetrics and Reproductive Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria
Precious C. Agada
; Department of Veterinary Anatomy, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria
Abstract
The ultrasonic measurements of occipitonasal length (ONL), orbital (OD), biparietal (BPD), placentome (PD) and umbilical cord (UCD) diameters of red Sokoto goat foetuses with known gestational age (GA) were obtained. The data were subjected to simple linear regression analysis. The derived age prediction equations were GA = 22.881 + 6.668ONL, GA = 26.938 + 14.300BPD, GA = 17.326 + 43.534OD, GA = 48.116 + 11.869PD, GA = 35.796 + 65.195UCD where GA is the gestational age (days), ONL - occipitonasal length, BPD - biparietal, OD - orbital, PD - placentome and UCD - umbilical cord diameters (cm). The foetal ages ranged between 57 and 124 days. The coefficient of correlation (R) between occipitonasal length (R = 0.97), biparietal (R = 0.98), orbital (R = 0.92), umbilical cord (R = 0.77) diameters and gestational age were highly significant (P<0.001). The placentome diameter had low correlation (R = 0.45) with gestational age. These results suggest that occipitonasal length, biparietal, orbital and umbilical cord diameters can be used to estimate foetal age in red Sokoto goats, while placentome diameter is not useful for age prediction in this breed.
Keywords
age; foetuses; goats; head parameters; umbilical cord
Hrčak ID:
56498
URI
Publication date:
26.4.2010.
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