Abstract
Objective: To use contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEU) to quantify blood flow in the macaque uterus during early pregnancy. Design: Prospective nonhuman primate study. Setting: Oregon National Primate Research Center. Animals: Naturally cycling female rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta). Intervention(s): Female macaques were mated on days 11-14 of the cycle. Females were then imaged by CEU and Doppler ultrasound once every 3 days from day 21 through day 39 of the fertile cycle. Main Outcome Measure(s): Visualization and quantification of uterine vascular perfusion. Result(s): CEU identified the primary placental disc and underlying vessels approximately 2 days earlier than Doppler ultrasound was able to observe endometrial thickening. CEU revealed spatial differences in vascular perfusion between the endometrium, myometrium, and endometrial- myometrial (junctional) zone. Myometrium displayed the highest rate of blood flow (>10 mL/min/g tissue). There was less blood flow in the endometrium and junctional zone (<3 mL/min/g). A brief fall in progesterone was observed during early implantation, which was correlated with reduced blood flow to all three uterine compartments, but did not reduce flow to the placenta. Conclusions: CEU provides a sensitive, noninvasive method to assess vascular perfusion of the uterus during embryo implantation in macaques. We propose CEU as a new diagnostic tool to monitor vascular changes associated with early pregnancy in women.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 1316-1321.e3 |
Journal | Fertility and sterility |
Volume | 95 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Mar 15 2011 |
Keywords
- Contrast-enhanced ultrasound
- Doppler ultrasound
- endometrium
- implantation
- macaque
- pregnancy
- progesterone
- uterus
- vascular perfusion
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Reproductive Medicine
- Obstetrics and Gynecology