BioOne.org will be down briefly for maintenance on 17 December 2024 between 18:00-22:00 Pacific Time US. We apologize for any inconvenience.
How to translate text using browser tools
9 January 2020 TWO-DIMENSIONAL ECHOCARDIOGRAPHIC MEASUREMENTS IN THE BALL PYTHON (PYTHON REGIUS)
Clément Paillusseau, Frédéric Gandar, Lionel Schilliger, Valérie Chetboul
Author Affiliations +
Abstract

Reptiles can suffer from infectious and noninfectious cardiac pathologies, requiring the need for standardized diagnostic approaches and reference intervals. Despite the popularity of ball pythons (Python regius) as pets, echocardiographic measurements are unknown in this species. Twenty healthy adult ball pythons were evaluated to identify imaging planes, establish reference intervals for cardiac assessment by two-dimensional echocardiography, and study the effects of sex, body length, and body mass on heart rate, fractional shortening, and vascular, atrial, and ventricular dimensions. Echocardiography was performed under manual restraint. Most cardiac measurements were positively correlated with body length and mass, with the strongest correlation between ventricular end-systolic measurements and body length. The only significant difference found between sexes was for right and left atrial lengths. This study provides guidelines and reference intervals for two-dimensional echocardiographic measurements in adult healthy ball pythons.

Copyright 2019 by American Association of Zoo Veterinarians
Clément Paillusseau, Frédéric Gandar, Lionel Schilliger, and Valérie Chetboul "TWO-DIMENSIONAL ECHOCARDIOGRAPHIC MEASUREMENTS IN THE BALL PYTHON (PYTHON REGIUS)," Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine 50(4), 976-982, (9 January 2020). https://doi.org/10.1638/2019-0032
Accepted: 8 August 2019; Published: 9 January 2020
KEYWORDS
ball python
biometrics
cardiology
echocardiography
Python regius
reference interval
RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS
Get copyright permission
Back to Top