Cystic Degeneration in Porcine Ovaries - First Communication: Morphology of Cystic Ovaries, Interpretation of the Results |
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| Authors: | W Ebbert H Bostedt |
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| Institution: | Ambulatorische und Geburtshilfliche Veterinärklinik der Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen, FRG |
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| Abstract: | Contents: The morphological appearance of ovarian structures in 79 sows with ovarian cysts was examined. Sixty sows had been culled due to sterility; 19 sows had been repeatedly investigated clinically before slaughter. It was found that cystic ovaries without corpora lutea (CL) had the largest diameter and volume (151.3 cm3), in comparison to both cystic ovaries with CL (85.7 cm3) and normalovaries (16.9 cm3). The number of cysts on ovaries without corpora lutea was approximately twice as high as on the ovaries with CL (23.3 vs 12.1 cystslsow; p < 0.001). A combined form of degeneration consisting of large (> 1.5 cm in diameter) and small (1.5 em in diameter) cysts was found in 63% of the animals, whereas degeneration with only small cysts occured in 8% of the cases. Dark CL, interpreted as being functional, were mainly present in animals with up to 10 cysts per sow (24 out of 27 sows, p < 0.001); pale CL, interpreted as being weakly functional, were mainly found on ovaries with more than 10 cysts (19 out of 23 sows; p < 0.001). Based on macroscopical differentiation cyclic activity was found to be dependent to the number of cysts. Regular or irregular estrous cycles were observed in oligocystic animals (10 cysts/animal) with functional CL (58%). Up to 75% of the animals with pale or absent CL showed no estrous activity. |
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