Spontaneous closure of isolated ventricular septal defect in the pika (Ochotona rufescens rufescens).
The incidence of spontaneously occurring ventricular septal defects (VSD) in PIKA neonates and its fate during development are investigated. A total of 160 PIKAs were used in the present study. They consisted of three groups; first, 56 live neonates, second, 37 3-week-old live animals and third, 68 animals which had died during the first two weeks after birth from unknown causes. As high as 8.9% (5 cases out of 56) of the live neonates revealed isolated ventricular septal defects of membranous type. Decreased incidence (2.7%) was seen in 3-week-old PIKAs. Its implication and significance are evaluated in the discussion.
D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D006345:Heart Septal Defects, Ventricular / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D007793:Lagomorpha; D008322:Mammals; D009206:Myocardium / Q000473:pathology