A myelographic technique for avian species

A post-mortem myelogram was used to diagnose a vertabral fracture in a Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis). This diagnosis led the authors to believe that myelography would be useful in live birds. In a pilot study using live adult female chickens (Gallus domesticus), mammalian myelographic techniques were modified for avian anatomic differences. A thoracolumbar puncture site was used rather than the lumbar or cisternal site which is commonly used in mammals. The volume of contrast medium needed to produce a diagnostic myelogram in birds (0.8-1.2 ml/kg) was found to be approximately four times that needed in mammals. A 25 gauge spinal needle was used rather than a 23 gauge needle. Myelograms of diagnostic quality were obtained with normal subject recovery. Seizures, the most common post-myelographic complication in mammals, were not observed in any of the birds studied. Avian myelography was found to be a cost effective and humane technique with potential application to avian practice.