Mensuração radiográfica da silhueta cardíaca de periquitão-maracanã (Psittacara leucophthalmus)

Abstract

Reports of cardiac changes in birds have become more common every day, however, many are discovered only after death. Radiography is a good diagnostic method, cost-effective and is used in the avian clinical routine. Thus, this study aims to propose reference intervals for the heart of healthy white-eyed parakeet (Psittacara leucophthalmus), to be used as parameters in the detection of cardiomegalia and microcardia, allowing a early diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases. For this purpose, the white-eyed parakeet delivered to the wild animals sector of the Veterinary Hospital of the Federal University of Uberlândia HOVET-UFU over the years from 2018 until April 2024 were analyzed. The width of the heart, the chelomatic cavity, the coracoid and the length of the keel were measured and their ratio was determined. Based on this it was also possible to establish mathematical formulas to find the ideal size of the heart of the bird according to the size of the other structures measured. A weak correlation and ratio at 53.42 to 62.82% between the heart width and coelomic cavity width, a moderate correlation and ratio at 576.99 to 693.87% between the heart width and coracoid width and a moderate correlation and ratio at 30,29 to 34.97% between the heart width and keel length were observed, being that, the coracoid has greater predictive power on heart size, as demonstrated by its R2 = 0.37.