CARDIOVASCULAR EVALUATION OF LOWLAND GORILLAS

Objective-To design a diagnostic protocol that uses appropriate techni ques, including ultrasonography, to assess cardiovascular health and d etect primary cardiac diseases in gorillas and to establish a database of reference values for cardiac measurements in clinically normal gor illas. Design-Prospective study. Animals-5 adult male lowland gorillas from 11 to 18 years old. Procedure-A complete cardiac evaluation was performed on anesthetized gorillas, including physical examination, th oracic radiography, electrocardiography, echocardiography, blood press ure determination, CBC, serum biochemical analyses, and serologic assa y for viral diseases. Standard cardiac measurements were made from ima ges collected during ultrasonography. Results-Cardiac measurements der ived from ultrasonographic images were consistent with those considere d normal in human beings. Results of other diagnostic tests were also considered normal. Clinical Implications-Cardiac disease is the primar y cause of mortality in old captive gorillas. The technique used here provided excellent evaluation of cardiac function. Use of these techni ques will allow early detection of cardiac disease, making treatment o r medical management possible.