Share it:

6-year-old female Border collie

September 1, 2010

Presents for lethargy and a tense abdomen

Candidates were presented with a video clip that started in the left mid abdomen and moved caudally.

  • Multiple (at least 2) viable feti with detectable heart beats.
  • Adequate vesicular fluid.
  • Hyperechoic thickened portion of uterus present at the cranial aspect of the left uterine horn with no luminal fluid or fetal tissues.
  • Normal viable pregnancy in second trimester.
  • Single resorption site.
  • Finish the ultrasound examination to assess for other causes of clinical signs.
  • Follow-up ultrasound in 2 weeks to evaluate for additional fetal loss or evidence of distress.
  • CBC, serum biochemistry to look for other causes of clinical signs
  • Successful candidates were not penalized for recommending radiographs at 45 days gestation to count fetal numbers. However, a recommendation of radiographs at the current stage of pregnancy did not receive credit. Successful candidates described the resorption site as a potentially normal occurrence in dogs and did not assign undue significance to its presence.
  • Unsuccessful candidates failed to describe the resorption site or identified it as an ovary. Others concluded it was a focal pyometra. A few candidates recommended aspiration of fluid from the uterus to rule out pyometra. Many unsuccessful candidates were unable to identify which trimester the pregnancy was in.
  • Overall, candidates did poorly on this question, the majority of which scored 5-7 out of 10 points.