Thesis (M.Sc.) - Cairo University - Faculty of Veterinary Medicine - Department of Theriogenology

This study aimed to determine the testicular blood flow with semen imaging and describe accompanying variations in testicular morphometry, mediastinal thickness (MT), plasma levels of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), estradiol 17Ý (E2), testosterone (T), and serum nitric oxide metabolites (NOMs) in Baladi bucks at prepubertal and postpubertal stages. Baladi bucks (n=5) weighting (13-15 kg) and aging (4 months with a body condition score of 3.5 ± 0.01) were examined once a week from week 16 till week 26 of age then examined once a month till 10 months. Buck{u2019}s body weight, scrotal circumference, testicular volume, mediastinum thickness, semen analysis, Doppler, and image analyses were evaluated. Also, blood sampling for hormonal determination was performed. In the prepubertal stage, both scrotal circumference and testicular volume were increased (P<0.05) especially in buck 4 followed by buck 2. Both testicular echogenicity (TE) and pixel heterogeneity (PH) showed an increase (P<0.05) in buck 4 then buck 2. The plexus-colored area showed a pattern of an abrupt increase either toward or away from the probe (P<0.05) from week 23 of age without marked differences being shown between all buck testes. Both pulsatility (PI) and resistance indices (RI) showed a marked significant (P<0.05) decrease in buck 4 followed by buck 2 from week 23

Issued also as CD