Radiographic evaluation of bovine artificial inseminating technique among professional and herdsman-inseminators using .5- and .25-ml French straws

Using radiography, inseminating syringe tip location and inseminate distribution in excised bovine reproductive tracts were described for 20 professional and 20 herdsman-inseminators using .5- and .25-ml French straws. Inseminations (20 by each participant) were performed in tracts placed on a device that stimulated the anatomical position of the reproductive organs in vivo. A computer-coupled graphics information digitizer was used to quantitate the precise location of the syringe tip and to estimate the distribution of radiopaque inseminate within the tract from each pair of radiographs. Neither category of inseminator (professional or herdsman) nor volume of inseminate (.5 vs .25 ml) influenced (P greater than .05) syringe tip placement or subsequent distribution of the radiopaque inseminate within the tract. The proportion of syringe tip placements in various anatomical locations (586 attempts) were: uterine body, 39%; cervix, 25%; left uterine lumen, 13% and right uterine lumen, 23%. The variability among inseminators was high, with the ability to position the syringe tip in the uterine body ranging from 0 to 85% of the 20 attempts. Among all inseminators, 82% were unable to place the syringe in the uterine body greater than 60% of the time. When averaged across all inseminations (n = 666), 40% of the inseminate was located in the uterine body and(or) equally distributed in the uterine lumina. The remainder of the inseminate was located in the cervix (17%) or disproportionately in one uterine lumen (43%). Syringe tip placement in the uterine body was correlated (r = .73; P less than .05) with the proportion of inseminate located in the uterine body and(or) equally distributed to the lumen of both uterine horns. Measurements of various anatomical components of the reproductive tract were made from the first radiograph. The means were: cervical diameter, 5.9 cm; length from internal cervical os to external uterine bifurcation, 16.4 cm; uterine body length, 1.7 cm and uterine body surface area, 3.6 cm2. There was no relationship between the palpable anatomical components and uterine body size.