A study of the utero-ovarian circulation in sheep with reference to local transfer between venous and arterial

Summary. An experimental technique to study the local utero-ovarian circulation in fifteen ewes is described. It involves specific cannulation of the anterior uterine vein, the utero-ovarian vein and the ovarian artery. Experiments to test for direct passage between the uterine vein and ovarian artery were performed, using a highly diffusible gas (133Xe) and a large molecule radioiodinated human serum albumin (131RISA). The ovary was either left attached to or disconnected from its ligaments. Labelled RISA failed repeatedly to cross, indicating no direct shunt; 133Xe crossed with an appearance time of about 20 sec, indicating passive diffusion. Anatomical casts were also prepared using coloured latex injections. Dissection failed to show any direct communications between venous and arterial vessels. These findings fail to support the concept of a local veno-arterial passage of a presumptive uterine luteolysin