Evaluation of arterial digital blood flow in dairy cows with claw horn disruption lesions using Doppler ultrasonography

摘要

Vascular changes play an important role in thepathogenesis of claw horn disruption lesions in cattle.The aim of the study was to measure arterial blood flowin the hind limbs of German Holstein cows with clawhorn disruption lesions. A 10-MHz linear transducerwas used to assess blood flow in the interdigital arteryin the dorsal pastern region in the hind limbs of 11 nonlameand 33 lame German Holstein cows in which lamenesswas scored clinically. Qualitative and quantitativeblood flow parameters were compared in affected limbsand unaffected contralateral hind limbs in lame cowsand in the hind limbs of lame cows and non-lame cows.A pulsed-wave Doppler signal suitable for analysis wasobtained in 78 of 88 limbs (33 affected and contralaterallimbs, 22 limbs of control cows). Blood flow curvetypes 1 and 2 were predominant in the hind limbs oflame cows. Vessel diameter, end-diastolic velocity, andblood flow rate were significantly greater in lame cowsthan in non-lame cows and were numerically greater inmoderately lame cows than in mildly lame cows. Thedifferences in the qualitative and quantitative parametersbetween lame and non-lame cows were most likelycaused by inflammation of the pododerm. The role ofweight distribution between the paired hind limbs andthe existence of claw horn disruption appeared to havean effect on the differences in local circulation in the affectedand unaffected contralateral hind limbs in lamecows.