Colour-coded duplex sonography of the testes of dogs.

Colour-coded duplex sonography was used to examine the testes of 42 dogs whose testes were normal on clinical examination. With colour Doppler, the blood flow in the supratesticular region could be displayed clearly in 70 per cent of the cases, independent of the dog's age, bodyweight, pulse rate and the volume of its testes. The marginal artery could be displayed clearly in 56 per cent of the cases, and the clarity was correlated with bodyweight (P<0.001), testicular volume (P<0.001), and pulse rate (P<0.001). The intratesticular blood flow could not be discerned in 42 per cent of the cases. With pulsed Doppler, the mean resistive index (RI) in the supratesticular region was 0.57, and the mean pulsatility index (PI) was 1.00. In the marginal artery, the mean RI was 0.49, and mean PI was 0.78. In the intratesticular arteries, the mean RI was 0.47, and the mean PI was 0.75. At all three sites both indices were independent of age, bodyweight, pulse rate and testicular volume.