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1 December 2011 Radiographic Measurement of Internal Organs in Spix's Macaws (Cyanopsitta spixii)
Helen Rettmer, Amrita Deb, Ryan Watson, Jean-Michel Hatt, Sven Hammer
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Abstract

Radiology is an important diagnostic instrument in avian medicine, but standard measurement ranges for the objective evaluation of radiographs of birds are rare. To establish radiographic reference ranges for the critically endangered Spix's macaw (Cyanopsitta spixii), we measured radiographic silhouettes of the heart, liver, kidneys, spleen, proventriculus, and keel of the sternum on 29 radiographs taken under standardized conditions in adult and juvenile, clinically healthy birds. Ratios were determined for the proventricular diameter-to-keel height, the width of the heart to the width of the thorax, and for the “hourglass shape” (ratio of the width of the heart to the width of the liver). No significant differences were found between the sexes among the adult birds. Compared with adult birds, juvenile females had a significantly larger heart width (19.8 ± 1.4 mm versus 21.2 ± 0.7 mm), ratio of the heart width to the thorax width (0.86 ± 0.08 versus 0.94 ± 0.09), and horizontal width of the spleen (7.7 ± 0.6 mm versus 8.5 ± 0.4 mm). Results of radiographic measurements in the Spix's macaws were comparable to those published from other psittacine species. These reference ranges will facilitate a more objective radiographic evaluation of captive Spix's macaws.

Helen Rettmer, Amrita Deb, Ryan Watson, Jean-Michel Hatt, and Sven Hammer "Radiographic Measurement of Internal Organs in Spix's Macaws (Cyanopsitta spixii)," Journal of Avian Medicine and Surgery 25(4), 254-258, (1 December 2011). https://doi.org/10.1647/2009-062.1
Published: 1 December 2011
KEYWORDS
Avian
Cyanopsitta spixii
diagnosis
internal organ measurements
radiography
Spix's macaws
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