Valoración cardiaca en individuos sanos de la especie Mustela putorius furo mediante radiografías y el programa “OsiriX MD"

Abstract

The objective of this project was to evaluate the different methods of vertebral heart score (VHS) decribed in ferrets, the adaptation of the established indices for other species, search of new ones, as well as tools that will allow us to establish the normal size of the heart in a fast and effective way. Forty healthy ferrets, belonging tho the European population, took part in this prospective study. All of them were patients of the Clinical Veterinary Hospital of the University of Extremadura. The evaluation of the cardiovascular normality was performed by auscultation and echocardiography. Once the cardiovascular state was evaluated, all the healthy ferrets were subject of a radiological study and after that, measurements were taken using a software for treatment of medical images, named OsiriX MD. The majority of the studied cardiac measurements present significative differences among males and females. The obtained results for Buchanan’s method (VHS.B), sternebral heart score (SHS), new indices and other measurements based on the determination of heart area, were analized. On a regular bases, we can conclude that the sexual dimorphism and the different populations condition the measurement values as well as the radiographic indices of the heart size. Furthermore, Buchanan’s method (VHS.B), when adapted for ferrets, sternebral heart score (SHS) and the measurements of heart area open polygon (AREA-POL) proposed in our project, seem to be ideal tools for the valoration of the heart size in ferrets.