TDK conference 2013

Our experiment was carried out in three hungarian dairy farm involving 1253 animals. In this study we have evaluated the results of the early pregnancy examinations diagnosed by ultrasound.

The occurrence of the twin pregnancy was 8,4% at the time of the early pregnancy examination. Nearly 58,4% of the embrios of the cows with singletons were located in the right uterine horn, 41,6% of them in the left horn. In cows carrying twins the 54,3% of the embrios were in unilateral position, 45,7% of them in bilateral. Regarding the number of the corpora lutea there was one corpus luteum in the ovary of 83,2% of the cows with singletons (two corpora lutea 16,8%), whereas 94,3% of the animals with twins had two corpora lutea (just one, 5,7%).

By the time of the confirmation pregnancy examination the overall rate of losses was 4,6% (it was 4,6% in cows with singletons, it was 4,8% in cows with twins). 1201 calves were born finally, the occurrence of stillbirth was 5,7% when taking into consideration all of the parturitions (68 calves). 164 calves were born from 82 twin birth. Among them the stillbirth rate was 7,3%. The twin parturition resulted 2 healthy calves in 87,8% of the twin pregnancies, in 7,3 % of the cases one calve was stillborn and both calves were dead from 4,9% of the cases. The stillbirth rate among singletons was 5,2%.

We disseminated our early pregnancy diagnoses to two groups. In the first we evaluated pregnancy diagnoses between day 29-35 of pregnancy, in the second group between day 36-42. The accuracy of the twin pregnancy determination by means of ultrasound were the following: between days 29-35. we reached good results (Se: 95,3%, Sp: 97,3%, +PV: 95%, -PV: 97,5%). Similarly, the accuracy of the examination between days 36-42 had also good results (Se: 90%, Sp: 96,2%, +PV: 58,1%, -PV: 99,4%).

We could conclude, that the examination of twin pregnancy carried out by our diagnostic technique in the late embryonic/early foetal stage gives a reliable diagnosis, however it is recommended to perform our examinations between days 36-42. The incidence of twin pregnancies was similar to other results. In addition we can suggest a diagnostic pattern, which separates the disseminating of twin pregnancies from the cows with singletons. As for the twin pregnancy diagnosed in the early period we have to follow up the eventual embrionic/foetal losses with multiple examination by means of ultrasound in order to decrease the peripartal losses.