Dissecting aortic aneurysm in a horse.
Abstract: A case of dissecting aortic aneurysm in a 4-year-old male thoroughbred horse is reported. The horse had a history of inflammation in the right thigh and a fever 2 weeks before sudden death. At necropsy, aortic aneurysms were observed from the aortic valve to the aortic arch, spreading over a distance of 40 cm. An irregular rupture of the intima of the ascending aorta was located in the cardiac side of a ramification to the tunica branchiocephalicus communis. An intramural haematoma, apparent on the cut surface and in the pericardium, had caused cardiac tamponade and sudden death.
Copyright 1999 W.B. Saunders Company Ltd.
Publication Date: 1999-04-24 PubMed ID: 10213675DOI: 10.1053/jcpa.1998.0280Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary
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This article reports on a case of dissecting aortic aneurysm in a young thoroughbred horse, which led to the horse’s sudden death. The horse had an irregular rupture in its ascending aorta and a blood clot in its heart wall that caused cardiac tamponade, a critical condition where fluid fills the space around the heart and impacts its function.
Background
- The research paper revolves around a unique case study of a dissecting aortic aneurysm found in a 4-year-old male thoroughbred horse.
- It’s of note that the horse had shown signs of inflammation in its right thigh and experienced a fever approximately two weeks before its sudden death.
Aortic Aneurysm
- An aortic aneurysm, as seen in this case, is a condition where the aorta, the main and largest artery in the body, becomes abnormally large or balloons outward.
- In this horse, the aneurysms were prominent from the aortic valve to the aortic arch, an uncommonly large area, spreading over a distance of 40 cm.
Irregular Rupture and Hematoma
- An irregular rupture of the intima, which is the innermost layer of the aorta, was found in the ascending aorta, situated on the side of the heart.
- This rupture was located at the branching point to the branchiocephalicus communis, a significant blood vessel that supplies blood to the head and neck.
- The rupture of the aorta led to an intramural hematoma, a severe condition where blood collects within the wall of a blood vessel – in this case, within the wall of the aorta. This was apparent both on the cut surface of the aorta and in the pericardium surrounding the heart.
Cardiac Tamponade and Sudden Death
- The presence of the intramural hematoma caused a condition known as cardiac tamponade.
- Cardiac tamponade is a life-threatening condition where the accumulation of fluid, in this case, the blood from the hematoma, fills the space around the heart, called the pericardial sac. This leads to an increased pressure around the heart, severely impacting its function.
- This condition, unfortunately, led to the sudden death of the horse.
Cite This Article
APA
Shirai W, Momotani E, Sato T, Kashima T, Saito T, Itoi Y.
(1999).
Dissecting aortic aneurysm in a horse.
J Comp Pathol, 120(3), 307-311.
https://doi.org/10.1053/jcpa.1998.0280 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, Nihon University, Kameino 1866, Fujisawa, 252-0813, Japan.
MeSH Terms
- Aortic Dissection / pathology
- Aortic Dissection / veterinary
- Animals
- Cardiac Tamponade / pathology
- Cardiac Tamponade / veterinary
- Fatal Outcome
- Horse Diseases / pathology
- Horses
- Male
Citations
This article has been cited 4 times.- Vera L, De Clercq D, Van Steenkiste G, Decloedt A, Chiers K, van Loon G. Differences in ultrasound-derived arterial wall stiffness parameters and noninvasive blood pressure between Friesian horses and Warmblood horses.. J Vet Intern Med 2020 Mar;34(2):893-901.
- Endoh C, Matsuda K, Okamoto M, Tsunoda N, Taniyama H. Morphometric changes in the aortic arch with advancing age in fetal to mature thoroughbred horses.. J Vet Med Sci 2017 Mar 28;79(3):661-669.
- Yamada K, Sato F, Horiuchi N, Higuchi T, Kobayashi Y, Sasaki N, Nambo Y. Autopsy imaging for cardiac tamponade in a Thoroughbred foal.. J Equine Sci 2016;27(3):115-118.
- Gozalo AS, Ragland DR, StClaire MC, Elkins WR, Michaud CR. Intracardiac thrombosis and aortic dissecting aneurysms in mustached tamarins (Saguinus mystax) with cardiomyopathy.. Comp Med 2011 Apr;61(2):176-81.
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