Idiopathic multifocal myocardial atrophy with fibrosis and fatty infiltration involving Purkinje fibres in a 13-year-old Arabian broodmare: Histopathological features.
Abstract: Myocardial atrophy with fibrosis and fatty infiltration involving the cardiac conduction system is relatively unusual in horses. We herein report of such a case in a 13-year-old Arabian broodmare that had spontaneously died on a paddock. An autopsy revealed multifocal myocardial atrophy with concomitant fibrosis and fatty infiltration in both the ventricles and interventricular septum. The Purkinje fibres in the ventricles and interventricular septum were surrounded by thick fibrous or adipose tissues adjacent to atrophic myocardial cells. Myocardial fibrosis and fatty infiltration were likely secondary to myocardial atrophy, occurring as a pathological response triggered by the repair of muscular wall injury. However, there were no major vascular pathologies (e.g. atherosclerosis and arteriosclerosis); hence, the pathogenesis of myocardial atrophy was unclear. There was no evidence of myocardial atrophy ̵ induced pathologies such as infarct, ischaemic lesions, myocardial degeneration, myocarditis and endocarditis. However, such an unusual histopathological pattern may be associated with rapid clinical deterioration and death.
© 2020 The Authors. Veterinary Medicine and Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Publication Date: 2020-09-17 PubMed ID: 32940417PubMed Central: PMC7840219DOI: 10.1002/vms3.350Google Scholar: Lookup
The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
- Case Reports
- Journal Article
Summary
This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.
The research explores a rare case of heart muscle atrophy with fibrosis and fatty infiltration in a 13-year-old Arabian mare that died spontaneously, noting that these conditions are relatively unusual in horses.
Case Description
- The study involves a 13-year-old Arabian broodmare that died spontaneously in a paddock. On autopsy, it was found to have multifocal myocardial atrophy. This condition involves atrophy or wasting of the heart muscle, which is accompanied by fibrosis (the formation of excess fibrous connective tissue) and fatty infiltration (accumulation of fat cells) in both the ventricles and the interventricular septum (the wall that separates the ventricles).
Findings
- The heart’s Purkinje fibres, a part of the organ’s electrical conduction system responsible for initiating normal cardiac rhythm, were surrounded by thick fibrous or adipose (fat) tissues adjacent to atrophic myocardial cells.
- The myocardial fibrosis and fatty infiltration were likely a secondary response to myocardial atrophy – a pathological repair mechanism triggered by a muscular wall injury. However, what specifically caused the myocardial atrophy remains unclear as there were no significant vascular pathologies such as atherosclerosis and arteriosclerosis detected.
- There was no evidence of other myocardial atrophy-induced pathologies, which include conditions like an infarct (tissue death due to insufficient blood supply), ischemic lesions (damages from limited blood flow), myocardial degeneration, myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle), or endocarditis (inflammation of the heart’s inner lining).
Implications
- Despite the lack of these other pathologies, the report suggests that the observed unusual histopathological pattern could be linked to rapid clinical deterioration and death. This indicates that while myocardial atrophy with fibrosis and fatty infiltration is rare in horses, it is a condition of serious concern that could potentially be fatal.
Cite This Article
APA
Goto Asakawa M, Mehmood W, Ali M, Oikawa MA.
(2020).
Idiopathic multifocal myocardial atrophy with fibrosis and fatty infiltration involving Purkinje fibres in a 13-year-old Arabian broodmare: Histopathological features.
Vet Med Sci, 7(1), 3-8.
https://doi.org/10.1002/vms3.350 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Clinical and Anatomic Pathology Unit, Veterinary Specialists and Emergency Center, Kawaguchi, Japan.
- Diagnostic and Research Laboratory, Equine Veterinary Medical Center, Doha, Qatar.
- Diagnostic and Research Laboratory, Equine Veterinary Medical Center, Doha, Qatar.
- Diagnostic and Research Laboratory, Equine Veterinary Medical Center, Doha, Qatar.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Atrophy / diagnostic imaging
- Atrophy / pathology
- Atrophy / veterinary
- Cardiomyopathies / diagnostic imaging
- Cardiomyopathies / pathology
- Cardiomyopathies / veterinary
- Female
- Fibrosis / diagnostic imaging
- Fibrosis / pathology
- Fibrosis / veterinary
- Horse Diseases / pathology
- Horses
- Purkinje Fibers / diagnostic imaging
- Purkinje Fibers / pathology
Conflict of Interest Statement
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship and/or publication of this article.
References
This article includes 17 references
- Agudelo CF, Svoboda M, Husnik R, Dvir S. Heart lipomatosis in domestic animals: A review. Veterinarni Medicina 5, 252–259.
- Baker D, Kreeger J. Infiltrative lipoma in the heart of a horse.. Cornell Vet 1987 Jul;77(3):258-62.
- Buergelt CD. Equine cardiovascular pathology: an overview.. Anim Health Res Rev 2003 Dec;4(2):109-29.
- Buergelt CD, Del Piero F. Myocardial diseases. In Buergelt C. D., & Del Piero F. (Eds.), Color Atlas of Equine Pathology (p. 148).
- Cranley JJ, McCullagh KG. Ischaemic myocardial fibrosis and aortic strongylosis in the horse.. Equine Vet J 1981 Jan;13(1):35-42.
- Diab SS, Poppenga R, Uzal FA. Sudden death in racehorses: postmortem examination protocol.. J Vet Diagn Invest 2017 Jul;29(4):442-449.
- Else RW, Holmes JR. Cardiac pathology in the horse. 1. Gross pathology.. Equine Vet J 1972 Jan;4(1):1-8.
- Freel KM, Morrison LR, Thompson H, Else RW. Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy as a cause of unexpected cardiac death in two horses.. Vet Rec 2010 Jun 5;166(23):718-21.
- Hamir AN, Habecker P, Tulleners E. Equine intrapericardial lipoma.. Vet Rec 1994 Sep 3;135(10):235-6.
- Kenny RM, Doig PA. Equine endometrial biopsy. In Morrow D. A. (Ed.), Current Therapy in Theriogenology (pp. 723–729).
- Kiryu K, Machida N, Kashida Y, Yoshihara T, Amada A, Yamamoto T. Pathologic and electrocardiographic findings in sudden cardiac death in racehorses.. J Vet Med Sci 1999 Aug;61(8):921-8.
- Kiryu K, Nakamura T, Kaneko M, Oikawa M, Yoshihara T. Cardiopathology of sudden cardiac death in the race horse.. Heart Vessels Suppl 1987;2:40-6.
- Lyle CH, Uzal FA, McGorum BC, Aida H, Blissitt KJ, Case JT, Charles JT, Gardner I, Horadagoda N, Kusano K, Lam K, Pack JD, Parkin TD, Slocombe RF, Stewart BD, Boden LA. Sudden death in racing Thoroughbred horses: an international multicentre study of post mortem findings.. Equine Vet J 2011 May;43(3):324-31.
- Marcus LC, Ross JN Jr. Microscopic lesions in the hearts of aged horses and mules.. Pathol Vet 1967;4(2):162-85.
- Miller LM, Gal A. Cardiovascular System and Lymphatic Vessels. In Zachary J. F., & McGavin M. D. (Eds.), Pathologic Basis of Veterinary Disease, 6th ed. (pp. 561–616).
- Molesan A, Wang M, Sun Q, Pierce V, Desideri R, Palmer S, Todhunter R, Kelly K. Cardiac Pathology and Genomics of Sudden Death in Racehorses From New York and Maryland Racetracks.. Vet Pathol 2019 Jul;56(4):576-585.
- Raftery AG, Garcia NC, Thompson H, Sutton DG. Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy secondary to adipose infiltration as a cause of episodic collapse in a horse.. Ir Vet J 2015;68:24.
Citations
This article has been cited 0 times.Use Nutrition Calculator
Check if your horse's diet meets their nutrition requirements with our easy-to-use tool Check your horse's diet with our easy-to-use tool
Talk to a Nutritionist
Discuss your horse's feeding plan with our experts over a free phone consultation Discuss your horse's diet over a phone consultation
Submit Diet Evaluation
Get a customized feeding plan for your horse formulated by our equine nutritionists Get a custom feeding plan formulated by our nutritionists
