This communication reports a case of dystocia due to homozygotic twins suffering from ascites in a primiparous buffalo. Both the dead female fetuses were delivered successfully one by one by manual traction. The dam recovered eventfully without any post obstetrical complications.

The present study was conducted on placentomes of 20 buffaloes (n=20) ranging from 38 to 243 days of gestation. Their gestational age was determined by measuring the curved crown rump length (CRL) of foetii using an inelastic thread as per formula given by Soliman (1975) in bovines. Depending on the CRL and estimated age of the foetuses, the samples were divided into 3 groups. The placental tissues fixed in 10 percent NBF were processed and stained accordingly. The present observation revealed that the cryptal epithelium was cuboidal during early and mid pregnancy but transformed to squamous during late pregnancy especially at the tip of the maternal septa. This reduction in size and nature of epithelium during late pregnancy was in order to shorten the distance between foetal and maternal tissue for substance exchange by diffusion. The trophoblastic epithelium transformed from cuboidal during early and mid pregnancy to stratified epithelium in the arcade region due to accumulation of binucleated giant cells that were involved in phagocytosis of extravasated erythrocytes in the arcade region. The phagocytosis released iron from the RBC that were probably being utilized by the developing fetus as very strong reaction for acid phosphatase was observed in the arcade region and iron in the form of fine granules were observed by special staining.

A Nili Ravi buffalo distress with dystocia due to simultaneous engagement of twins (two male) cause impaction of maternal pelvis. Both foetuses delivered live through obstetrical manoeuvres per-vaginal.

The present study was conducted on 10 buffalo foetii ranging from 13.5 cm CVRL to 98 cm CVRL (89 to 295 days). After collection the tissue samples were processed for transmission electron microscopy. The efferent ductules of buffalo foetii were lined with simple columnar epithelium with ciliated and non-ciliated cells. The ciliated cells were few in number in comparison to the non-ciliated cells. The ciliated cells were characterized by presence of cilia on apical surface with typical 9+2 arrangement and their basal bodies just beneath the apical plasma lemma. Whereas the non-ciliated cells were devoid of cilia. The supra-nuclear cytoplasm of non-ciliated cells contained many coated vesicles. In the later stage of development some migratory intraepithelial and peritubular leukocytes were also observed. The tight junctions found to be poorly developed in the epithelial lining of efferent ductules at 13.5 cm CVRL (89 days) and were well developed at 19.5 cm CVRL (116 days) onwards. In early stage of development efferent ductules were surrounded with the mesenchymal tissue which after condensation differentiated into smooth muscle cells in later stage of development.