Cardiovascular images: vascular hamartoma of the mitral valve in a horse.
Abstract: An 8-month-old Hanoverian gelding was presented with a history of cardiac murmurs that were not apparent as a foal nor reported at the time of castration. Major echocardiographic findings included mitral valvular thickening, functional stenosis, and mitral regurgitation of sufficient severity to cause diastolic and systolic cardiac murmurs, left-sided volume overload, and pulmonary hypertension. Due to the hemodynamic severity of the lesion and poor prognosis for future performance and longevity, euthanasia was elected. On gross postmortem examination, there was focal fibrous epicarditis affecting the heart base, and the left atrium was moderately dilated. The mitral valve surface was irregular and contained several nodules along the atrial face of the cusp. Histologically, this lesion was diagnosed as a vascular hamartoma, which is rarely reported in veterinary species and has not been described in heart valves. This benign proliferative lesion, and concurrent valvular dysfunction, was associated with an unusual manifestation of clinically evident disease and should be differentiated from common incidental valvular lesions such as hematocysts.
Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Publication Date: 2018-10-18 PubMed ID: 30526955DOI: 10.1016/j.jvc.2018.09.002Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary
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The research is about an unusual cardiac condition in an 8-month-old Hanoverian gelding horse, diagnosed with a rare benign lesion known as vascular hamartoma on the mitral valve. This condition caused significant heart problems, prompting the researchers to examine it closely after euthanizing the horse due to poor prognosis.
Initial Clinical Presentation
- The horse initially showed signs of heart murmurs that were not present during its early stages of life or at the time it went through castration.
- Echocardiograms revealed significant issues in the heart including thickening of the mitral valve, functional stenosis (narrowing of the heart valve), and severe mitral regurgitation (backward blood flow).
Effects of the Condition
- These heart abnormalities caused cardiac murmurs during both diastolic and systolic stages (when the heart relaxes and contracts respectively).
- Ultimately, these issues led to the horse suffering from left-sided volume overload, where the left side of the heart is forced to work harder, and pulmonary hypertension, a type of high blood pressure that affects the arteries in the lungs and the right side of the heart.
Postmortem Findings and Diagnosis
- Given the severity of the horse’s condition and its poor prospects for continuing performance and lifespan, euthanasia was chosen.
- Following euthanasia, an examination of the animal’s heart revealed fibrous epicarditis (inflammation of the outer lining of the heart) in a localized area, a moderately dilated left atrium, and irregularities in the mitral valve including several nodules.
- Upon further examination, the nodules were identified as a vascular hamartoma – a benign, rare and unclassified growth – which has not previously been observed in heart valves.
Significance of the Study
- This research highlights the detection and characterization of an uncommon non-cancerous lesion – vascular hamartoma – in a horse’s mitral valve.
- It emphasizes the need to distinguish between such rare conditions and more common incidental heart valve lesions, like hematocysts.
Cite This Article
APA
DiVincenzo MJ, Bonagura JD, Rings L, Burns TA, Cianciolo RE, Kohnken R.
(2018).
Cardiovascular images: vascular hamartoma of the mitral valve in a horse.
J Vet Cardiol, 20(6), 399-404.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvc.2018.09.002 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, The Ohio State University, 1925 Coffey Road, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, The Ohio State University, 601 Vernon L. Sharp Street, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA.
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, The Ohio State University, 601 Vernon L. Sharp Street, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA.
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, The Ohio State University, 601 Vernon L. Sharp Street, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA.
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, The Ohio State University, 1925 Coffey Road, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, The Ohio State University, 1925 Coffey Road, Columbus, OH 43210, USA. Electronic address: Rebecca.Kohnken@AbbVie.com.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Diagnosis, Differential
- Echocardiography / veterinary
- Euthanasia, Animal
- Hamartoma / diagnostic imaging
- Hamartoma / veterinary
- Heart Murmurs / diagnostic imaging
- Heart Murmurs / veterinary
- Heart Valve Diseases / diagnostic imaging
- Heart Valve Diseases / veterinary
- Horse Diseases / diagnostic imaging
- Horses
- Male
- Mitral Valve
Citations
This article has been cited 3 times.- Apolonio EVP, Gobbo LL, Woiblet NG, Dinau FC, Pyles MS, Ferrari LC, de Moura Alonso J, Alves ALG. Vascular hamartoma in horse limbs: presentation, diagnosis, and treatment of two case studies. Vet Res Commun 2024 Nov 15;49(1):8.
- Cuccato M, Bertuglia A, Divari S, Brambilla E, Grieco V, Bollo E, Scaglione FE. Case report: Findings in ovaries development from an aborted equine fetus. Front Vet Sci 2024;11:1275220.
- Barrantes Murillo DF, Newsom E, Edwards JF, Joiner K. Unilateral vascular hamartomas of the vaginal tunic in a dog. J Vet Diagn Invest 2023 Sep;35(5):568-572.
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