Potential Applications and Pitfalls of Ultrasound for Managing Reproduction in Dairy Cattle

Introduction In 1986, O. J. Ginther stated that “gray-scale diagnostic ultrasonography is the most profound technological advance in the field of large animal research and clinical reproduction since the introduction of transrectal palpation and radioimmunoassay of circulating hormones.” (Ginther, 1986). Transition of ultrasound technology from a specialized research tool to a practical tool for managing reproduction on dairy farms has already begun. Early integration of ultrasound technology to the cattle industry included applications such as transvaginal follicular aspiration and oocyte recovery (Meintjes et al., 1993; Pieterse et al., 1988; Pieterse et al., 1991) and as a complementary technology for embryo transfer procedures. These applications, however, are specialized and will not likely constitute widespread use of ultrasound technology.