Ultrasonographic assessment of late term pregnancy in cattle

The ultrasonographic examination of the late-term pregnancy in cattle consists of collecting pertinent information on the fetus, the uterine adnexa, and dam health by transabdominal or transrectal ultrasonography. All these parameters may help the clinician assess fetal well-being. Fetal well-being is a general term to define the multiple interactions between the fetus and the uteroplacental unit that may be assessed by multiple ancillary tests including ultrasonography. Various diseases of the dam or fetus may have adverse effects on the pregnancy. Although extensively studied in human and ovine pregnancies, the data are scant on the ultrasonographic manifestations of any anomaly in the last trimester of pregnancy. This article reviews the current data available on the ultrasonographic assessment of fetal well-being in bovine late pregnancy.