title: Osteocartilaginous metaplasia in the right atrial myocardium of healthy adult sheep.
abstract: Among 172 hearts from clinically normal adult sheep aged 1.5 to 7 years evaluated for the presence of cartilage and/or bone in the right atrial myocardium, 3.49% (6/172) had palpable evidence of osteocartilaginous foci. An additional 8% prevalence was estimated based on radiographs of hearts that contained < or =1 mm foci of nonpalpable, radiographically dense bone. Microscopically, the nodules in the atria were characterized by mature lamellar bone enclosing adipose tissue, with occasional new bone formation by endochondral ossification. No degenerative changes were evident in the affected atrial myocardium, suggesting that these lesions were clinically insignificant background changes.
authors.affiliation: Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory/Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Purdue University School of Veterinary Medicine, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA.
authors.forename: Gopakumar
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gopalakrishnan
authors.forename: William E
authors.initials: WE
authors.lastname: Blevins
authors.forename: William G
authors.initials: WG
authors.lastname: Van Alstine
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D009202:Cardiomyopathies / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D002356:Cartilage / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006325:Heart Atria / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008679:Metaplasia / Q000662:veterinary*; D009206:Myocardium / Q000473:pathology; D012756:Sheep; D012757:Sheep Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology*