Relative Accuracy of the Identification of Ovarian Structures in the Cow by Ultrasonography and Palpation Per Rectum

Manual palpation or ultrasonographic examination of the cow's genital tract are currently used by veterinarians involved in reproductive management, but knowledge of the potential and the limitations of both methods is important to obtain an optimal accuracy in the diagnosis of physiological and pathological ovarian structures. This review presents the main features of manual and ultrasonographic characteristics of follicles, corpora lutea (with or without a cavity), follicular and lutenized cysts and the reliability of the two methods is compared. Manual diagnosis of follicles <10 mm is rather inaccurate, but ultrasound offers the possibility to diagnose follicles