The adrenal glands have endocrine functions related to multiple vital functions and are closely related to the animal's ability to adapt to stress. The ultrasound is the diagnostic method of choice for evaluation of glands in different species. Considering the scarce literature, one may question whether the adrenal disorders in nonhuman primates are uncommon or underdiagnosed, and a hypothesis exists that this fact is determined by the lack of parameters. The goal is to describe the sonographic features of the adrenal glands for three species of nonhuman primates kept in captivity: squirrel monkey (Saimiri sciureus), owl monkey (Aotus azarae infulatus) and howler monkey (Alouatta guariba clamitans). It is concluded that it is possible to identify the adrenal glands by ultrasound, and the reference standards have been established successfully for the species in question. It is noteworthy that the adaptation of animals in many stressful environments is often accompanied by a hypertrophy of the adrenal glands, so one should take into account that the measurements performed in this study were established in captive animals.
Adrenal glands; squirrel monkey; Saimiri sciureus; owl monkey; Aotus azarae infulatus; howler monkey; Alouatta guariba clamitans; Cushing; hyperadrenocorticism; hormones; ultrasound
