Dissertation Rodenbusch_20052011 ohne Lebenslauf

7 SUMMARY
SUMMARY
Sarah Rodenbusch
Macroscopical and histopathological investigations of the genital tract of sub- and infertile female
cattle in the clinical context with special emphasis on endometrial biopsy
Institute of Pathology and Large Animal Clinic for Theriogenology and Ambulatory Services of the
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Leipzig
Submitted in November 2009
98 pages, 129 figures, 63 tables, 145 references, 25 pages appendix
Keywords: uterus, ovary, cattle, bovine endometrosis, fertility, endometrial biopsy
The aim of the present study was to define the physiological cyclical endometrial status in fertile
cows regarding cell infiltration and functional morphology, and to get an overview of pathological
findings in the genital tract of sub- or infertile heifers and dairy cows. Moreover, the importance of
endometrial findings to fertility should be assessed by comparing the endometrial status of sub- or
infertile cattle with the one of fertile cows. Furthermore, it should be investigated in the clinical
context if endometrial biopsy delivers representative information about the actual endometrial status
and thus can be a potential tool for the diagnosis of endometrial alterations in cattle not detectable
by conventional methods.
To define the physiological cyclical endometrial status of infiltration with mobile cells, endometrial
biopsies of seven fertile cows were taken on six days of the cycle and investigated histologically.
The endometrial infiltration with neutrophilic and eosinophilic granulocytes, lymphocytes, plasma
cells, macrophages and mast cells was analysed quantitatively and statistically. Using these data, the
borderline between physiological cyclical endometrial infiltration and endometritis was defined: the
presence of a maximum of 20 neutrophilic granulocytes or up to 15 monocytes (lymphocytes,
plasma cells, and macrophages) per High Power Field in the luminal epithelium and/or stratum
compactum is regarded as normal, whereas exceeding infiltration with those cells has to be considered
as endometritis.
The ovaries, uterine tubes and uteri of 13 heifers and 122 dairy cows culled due to sub- or infertility
were investigated macroscopically and histologically to gain an overview of pathological findings
in the female genital tract of sub- or infertile cattle. 58 of those animals underwent a clinical and
gynaecological examination including ultrasonography and uterine cytology prior to slaughter.
In pathological investigation, 46 cysts of the ovary (luteal cysts: n=25, follicle cysts: n= 21) and 16
ovarian neoplasms (adenoma of rete ovarii: n=12, granulosa cell tumor: n=4) were noticed. While
most of the cysts of the ovary could be diagnosed clinically, the detection of ovarian neoplasms
required histological examination. 34 animals revealed Salpingitis, 36 animals showed tubal cysts,
and in six cases adhesions of the ovary and the uterine tube were found. None of these tubal alterations
could be detected with clinical methods.
Only seven of 135 investigated uteri were without pathological findings. Most animals revealed
angiosclerosis (n=121), followed by periglandular fibrosis (n=85) and endometritis (n=42). Endometrial
periglandular fibrosis in cattle resembles endometrosis in the mare concerning its histological
characteristics, and is therefore named “bovine endometrosis”. In 64% of animals with histological
endometritis no clinical signs could be detected using conventional gynaecological methods
including ultrasonography. Only 15.2% of all cases of subclinical endometritis revealed more than
5% PMN in cytology (Cytobrush).
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