Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Mitral valvular insufficiency associated with ruptured chordae tendineae in three foals.
- Journal:
- Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association
- Year:
- 1987
- Authors:
- Reef, V B
- Affiliation:
- Department of Clinical Studies · United States
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
Three young horses, known as foals, were found to have a heart problem called mitral valvular insufficiency, which means their heart's mitral valve wasn't working properly. This issue was linked to ruptured chordae tendineae, which are the strings that help keep the valve in place. All three foals showed signs of congestive heart failure, likely due to high blood pressure in the lungs caused by the valve issue. Advanced imaging tests showed that two of the foals had a flail valve leaflet, while one foal had a ruptured chord that couldn't be seen with a specific type of ultrasound. The treatment details weren't provided, but the outcome for these foals is not clear from the information given.
Abstract
Mitral valvular insufficiency associated with ruptured chordae tendineae was diagnosed in 3 foals with signs of congestive heart failure, which were believed to be secondary to the development of pulmonary hypertension associated with the valvular insufficiency. The septal leaflet of the mitral valve was affected in all 3 foals, and foal 2 also had ruptured chordae tendineae associated with the caudal mitral valve leaflet. Bacterial endocarditis and myocardial necrosis were associated with the ruptured chordae tendineae in foals 3 and 2, respectively. Idiopathic rupture was considered in foal 1. Two-dimensional echocardiography demonstrated a flail mitral valve leaflet in foals 2 and 3 and a ruptured chorda tendineae in foal 3. The ruptured chorda tendineae in foal 1 was not visualized with M-mode echocardiography.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3654297/