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Objective: Evaluation of intra-abdominal pressure during different stages of pregnancy, before and after feeding in pregnant ewes with single and multiple lambs. design: Experimental field study.
Animals: Seven parous ewes.
p rocedure: At the end of the second month of gestation, a balloon
was made from condom was inserted into the pelvic cavity through a posterior mid-line laparotomy. Intra-abdominal pressure recorded on days 90, 120, 135 and 143 of pregnancy by infusion of 4ml of physiological saline into the balloon connected to a transducer and a pressure recorder. Statistical analysis: Data from different stages were compared using Student “t” test. Results: The results indicated that, at each stage of pregnancy the intra—abdominal pressure before feeding’ was higher than that after feeding and in ewes with single lambs, it was higher than in ewes with multiple lambs. cinical implications It has been postulated that increased intra- abdominal pressure associated with increased rumen fill and the
presence of multiple lambs are involved in the pathogenesis of
cervical-vaginal prolapse. Although in this study, intra-abdominal
pressure decreased after feeding and in multiple pregnancy. Therefore feeding and multiple pregnancy, not only can not increase intra-
. abdominal pressure, but also it can not be a pathogenesis of cervical- aginal prolapse.J. Fac. Vet. Med. Univ. Tehran. 57, 3: 97-101, 2002.