Transcervical Insemination (TCI) is a technique in which a rigid endoscope is used to locate the cervix and pass a catheter through it for intrauterine insemination of frozen semen without the need for the surgery. An endoscope (essentially a tiny video camera) is passed up the vaginal canal of a bitch and to the cervix. The inseminator is able to watch the positioning of the catheter on a TV monitor to which the endoscopic view is shown. The actual insemination can be visualized, ensuring that the deposition of semen is in the uterine horn.
There is a risk of trauma or infection. Trained and experienced manipulation of the endoscope and catheter should not cause a problem with the cervix or vaginal wall unless a pathologic condition already exists. During estrus and at the time of insemination, the vaginal walls are thicker and less susceptible to trauma. Vagina is not a sterile environment and multitude of bacteria lives there. During this time the increased resistance to infection is produced by body's natural defences. Therefore, infections caused by this technique are rare if proper sanitation of equipment and stringent quality control are adopted.
Also, some argue that it is cheaper because no surgical materials and often no qualified veterinarian is required to perform TCI. Basically, the main advantage of the scope is the fact that it is a non-surgical way of insemination with mainly frozen semen. Some might argue that it is less invasive but it is still a selective procedure which has risks to the female.
Here at Trade Genetics, we have performed hundreds of transcervical inseminations and firmly believe that is a better choice for the breeders. We were the first veterinary surgery to perform endoscopic inseminations in Ireland in 2006.
