Evaluation of blood flow velocity in the ascending aorta and pulmonary artery of clinically healthy racing pigeons (Columba livia f. dom.) by pulsed-wave Doppler echocardiography

Doppler echocardiography is a routine diagnostic tool in avian medicine. The aim of this study was to determine the velocity of the blood flow of the aorta and the main pulmonary artery of clinically healthy racing pigeons without anaesthesia. Sonographic examination of the racing pigeons (n = 49; 17 male, 32 female; weight: 468.2 +/- 51.9 g) made it possible to measure the systolic peak flow velocity in the aorta in 100 % and in the pulmonary artery in 95.9 % of the birds. The peak flow velocities in the aorta and pulmonary artery are similar but the Doppler flow spectra differ, most notably by a shorter ejection and shorter acceleration time of the aortic blood flow. The pulmonary peak flow velocities are most susceptible to influence by the heart rate. The results show that angle correction is an important tool for measuring blood flow velocities. However, the technique is also a source of error and the ultrasound beam should be congruent with the direction of blood flow. Less angle correction is necessary in the measurement of the aortic blood flow velocity from the left parasternal longitudinal horizontal approach and of the pulmonary blood flow from the right parasternal longitudinal horizontal approach.