In utero characterisation of fetal growth by ultrasound scanning in the rabbit

Fetal development is an important factor influencing the susceptibility of adults to metabolic diseases. In order to study the influence of fetal growth on further development in animal models like the rabbit, methods of measurement of fetal and placental size and viability must be established and validated. In this study, 42 New Zealand does bred naturally (N = 12) or transferred with in vivo produced embryos (2, 4 or 6 embryos/doe) have been scanned every 2–3 days with a 7.5 MHz transabdominal probe from Day 7 post-coitum until term to measure fetal and placental growth. Vesicle, placental, fetal length and head size have thus been determined according to number of fetuses and time. In late gestation, the fetuses that were transferred in limited numbers to the uterus of does were significantly larger than their natural breeding counterparts probably due to reduced litter size.