Color Doppler Ultrasonographic Examination of Ovarian Grafts in Goats

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of color Doppler ultrasonography for examination of the blood flow areas in superficial grafts after 7 or 15 days of heterotopic allotransplantation, comparing an in-ear subcutaneous area (IE) with an in-neck cervical intramuscular area (IN) in goats. To monitor the local blood flow in the graft areas, color Doppler signals were assessed daily until days seven and fifteen, when the left and right implants, respectively, were removed. The areas of blood flow around the transplanted ovarian fragments were significantly larger (<i>p</i> < 0.05) in the IE area compared to the IN area after 7 (IE: 4.70 ± 0.33^A vs. IN: 3.67 ± 0.33^B) and 15 (IE: 5.27 ± 0.21^A vs. IN: 4.66 ± 0.22^B) days of transplantation. A positive and significant correlation was observed between the area of blood flow and the day of assessment after 7 (IE: r = 0.43; <i>p</i> < 0.05) and 15 (IE: r = 0.52; <i>p</i> = 0.001; IN: r = 0.42; <i>p</i> = 0.001) days of transplantation. In conclusion, color Doppler ultrasonography can be used for real-time assessment of local blood perfusion in ovarian grafts, making it possible to identify alterations in the blood flow area in the period following a transplant procedure.