Calculating gestational age in cats with ultrasound

There are a number of published calculations for foetal head diameter measurements in felines. In the below video, I discuss the one that I have found to be most accurate, testing it on my own scans as well as those of AUA member Paul Wilson in Doncaster.

The most important points from this video are:

• Try to perform a minimum of 3 measurements, ideally on 3 different kittens (where possible);
• Take the mean and use the calculation published by Beccaglia et al. (2016), which is days to parturition = (BPD in mm – 23.39) / 0.47;
• Warn clients that the answer is ±2 days, for experienced users of ultrasound – and if you’re not yet an experienced user, make sure you obtain appropriate training and have a qualified sonographer (this should be the person who trained you) to review your images and measurements until you are confident, and your results reproducible.