Determination of normal radiographic indices of heart size in pigeon

Abstract

Respiratory and cardiovascular diseases are the most common health problems in pigeons which usually change cardiac size. The purpose of this study was to establish a normal radiographic reference value for cardiac size in pigeon. After clinical and radiographic (lateral and ventrodorsal views) evaluations of 27 adult pigeons, the indices below were measured; the cardiac and thoracic widths, the space between 3rd and 4th ribs on the left and right sides, the synsacrum width, the coracoids width on both sides and the distance between both femoral heads and clavicles distance. The ratio between cardiac width and the mentioned indices had been calculated. The correlation of anatomical indices with cardiac width was evaluated by linear regression test. The results indicated that there was a significant positive correlation of cardiac width with thoracic width, with the distance between femoral head, with synsacrum width and with the distance between clavicles. In regression models which showed a significant association between thoracic and synsacrum width with cardiac width, sex and weight factors were not correlated with cardiac width and therefore were removed from the models. However, in regression models where there was a significant correlation between the distance of both femoral heads and the distance between clavicles with cardiac width, sex factor was correlated with dependent variable and was not omitted from regression models. The results and values thus obtained from this study can be used as a normal cardiac size of pigeon in radiology for diagnosis of the cardiomegaly in this bird.