LAPAROSCOPIC PREGNANCY DIAGNOSIS AND UTERINE FLUID RECOVERY IN SWINE

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Abstract
The technique of laparoscopy has been routinely used for repeated ovarian observation in the gilt (Wildt, Fujimoto, Spencer & Dukelow, 1973) as well as other species (Jewett & Dukelow, 1972; Rawson & Dukelow, 1973; Seeger, 1973; Snyder & Dukelow, 1974). In addition to its advantage for serial ob- servations of ovarian morphology with minimal stress to the animal, laparoscopy has been found to be a practical substitute for laparotomy in other research areas. There are several reports of the use of pregnancy diagnosis techniques in swine (Walker, 1967; O'Reilly, 1967; Mather, Diehl & Tumbleson, 1970; Lindahl, Martin & Dziuk, 1972; Diehl & Day, 1973), but these procedures are not accurate until 20 days after mating and do not provide an indication of the number of ovulations or of the uterine and ovarian morphology. Recently, the biochemistry of uterine fluids of swine and the relationship to the incidence of embryonic mortality has been studied (Murray, Bazer, Wallace & Warnick, 1972; Knight, Bazer & Wallace, 1974). So far, however, collection of uterine fluid has not been achieved consecutively in the same animal without some form of chronic cannulation (Iritani, Sato & Nishikawa, 1974). The present studies involved twenty pre- or post-pubertal gilts used for determination of ovulation or uterine fluid recovery procedures and twenty- nine postpubertal mated animals used for pregnancy diagnosis studies. All gilts were of the Yorkshire, Hampshire or Yorkshire-Hampshire crossbred type and were fed a 13% corn-soy ration at 1-1 kg/animal/day. The laparoscopie equipment and procedure used in this laboratory has been described previously (Wildt et al., 1973). It involves use of a 5-mm 130 degree paediatric laparoscope, fibre optic cable and Model 4000 projector light source (Richard Wolf Co.). Laparoscopy in the pig, as with most species, is a mid-ventral procedure and is performed after disinfecting the posterior abdominal region. Gilts were immobilized by an intravenous injection of sodium pentobarbitone (Halatal Solution: Jen-Sal Laboratories) at a level of 13 to 25 mg/kg body weight. Pregnancy diagnosis and the effects of pregnancy on reproductive tract morphology during early gestation were studied with laparoscopy. Twenty mature gilts, mated twice on Day 2 of oestrus to one of two boars, were sub¬ jected to laparoscopy at various times of pregnancy. Nine pregnant gilts mated

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