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25 March 2019 Radiographic Reference Values for the Cardiac Silhouette in Bonelli's Eagle (Aquila fasciata)
Filipa Lopes, Sandra Jesus, Lic Vet Med, Irene López Márquez, Virginia Moraleda Fernández, Telmo Nunes, Laura Suárez Regalado, Fernando González González
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Abstract

Radiographs are an important diagnostic tool available in wildlife hospitals to evaluate the size of the avian heart. Despite the large variety wild birds in the Iberian peninsula, clinical studies addressing these species are lacking. To establish reference values for cardiac size in the Bonelli's eagle (Aquila fasciata), ventrodorsal radiographs of 20 healthy birds were obtained, and the width of the cardiac silhouette, sternum, thorax, coracoid, and hepatic silhouette were measured. The ratios between cardiac width and other mentioned indices were calculated. Results showed that cardiac silhouette width should occupy 81%–93% of sternal width, 48%–57% of thoracic width, and 506%–673% of coracoid width. The cardiac silhouette width was strongly correlated with sternal and thoracic widths. A moderate correlation was found between the width of the heart and the width of the coracoid. No significant correlation was found between width of the cardiac silhouette and the hepatic silhouette. These results support that sternal and thoracic widths should be used preferentially when evaluating the width of the cardiac silhouette in this species. The values obtained in this study can be used as a reference for normal cardiac size when evaluating radiographs of Bonelli's eagles.

© 2019 by the Association of Avian Veterinarians
Filipa Lopes, Sandra Jesus, Lic Vet Med, Irene López Márquez, Virginia Moraleda Fernández, Telmo Nunes, Laura Suárez Regalado, and Fernando González González "Radiographic Reference Values for the Cardiac Silhouette in Bonelli's Eagle (Aquila fasciata)," Journal of Avian Medicine and Surgery 33(1), 53-58, (25 March 2019). https://doi.org/10.1647/2017-318
Published: 25 March 2019
KEYWORDS
Aquila fasciata
Avian
Bonelli's Eagle
cardiac measurements
Cardiac silhouette
heart
radiograph
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