QUANTITATIVE COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY OF THE LIVER IN FREE-RANGING BLUE-AND-YELLOW MACAWS (ARA ARARAUNA)

The aim of this study was to determine the normal value of radiographic attenuation on noncontrast computed tomography (CT) of the liver parenchyma in free-ranging blue-and-yellow macaws (Ara ararauna) under general anesthesia. Thirteen macaws from the Wildlife Triage and Rehabilitation Center of Pernambuco, Brazil, were evaluated through physical examinations, laboratory tests, and CT before release into the wild and were considered healthy. The CT exam was performed using an imaging phantom to standardize the radiographic attenuation values obtained. The images were evaluated in multiplanar reconstructions and transverse slices. Hounsfield units (HU) of regions of interest within the right and left hepatic lobes were measured. The mean hepatic radiographic attenuation of the right and left lobes was 53.73 and 54.44 HU, respectively. Statistical analysis was performed using parametric tests (t-tests). Quantitative values of the normal liver radiographic attenuation of blue-and-yellow macaws were obtained that can serve as a reference to aid in the diagnosis of diffuse liver diseases in this species.