Ocular Ultrasonography in Healthy Calves with Different Transducers

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Ocular ultrasonography for eye examination is seldom performed in cattle. Despite this, some ocular pathologies have detrimental effects on animal welfare. Thus, the knowledge of normal ultrasonographic eye patterns and biometry is helpful for correct diagnosis. In this study, we compared the measurements made with three ultrasound transducers (linear, convex, transrectal gynecological) in field conditions on 20 healthy calves (10 Holstein breed, 10 Piedmontese breed). While both linear and transrectal gynecological transducers can be used for eye examination in the field, widespread application of the transrectal gynecological probe make it the most suitable choice for ocular ultrasonography in field conditions. ABSTRACT: Ocular ultrasonography is seldom performed in cattle. Here, we compared three ultrasound probes (linear, convex, transrectal gynecological) for the measurement of eight eye biometry parameters on vertical and horizontal scans. The sample population was 20 healthy calves (n = 10 Holstein, n = 10 Piedmontese breed). Intragroup (same probe for vertical vs. horizontal scanning) and intergroup (different probes measuring the same biometric parameter) comparisons were performed using Student’s t-test and the Mann–Whitney U test. Statistical significance was set at p ≤ 0.05. Intragroup comparison revealed few significant differences. Ultrasound examination with the convex transducer detected more differences than either of the two other probes on vertical (linear six out of eight; transrectal gynecological four out of eight) and horizontal (linear six out of eight; transrectal gynecological six out of eight) scans. Similar results were obtained for both breeds. More non-valuable parameters on the horizontal (77 out of 320, 24%) and the vertical (85 out of 320, 26%) (p ≤ 0.001) scans were obtained with the convex transducer. Both linear transducers were found comparable for ocular ultrasonography in field conditions. However, given its widespread application in the field, the transrectal gynecological transducer may offer veterinarians the added advantage of familiarity and ease-of-use without any additional costs.