title: Ectopic thyroid in the aortic valve of a Han Wistar rat.
abstract: Histological examination of the heart of a clinically normal, 10-week-old female Han Wistar rat revealed a 600 x 400-mum mass of ectopic thyroid tissue within the subendothelial connective tissue of the aortic valve. The mass protruded into the left ventricular lumen and was composed of single layers of cuboidal to low-columnar epithelium organized into follicles often containing colloid. Parafollicular cells were not evident. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of intracardiac ectopic thyroid gland in the rat and the first report of ectopic thyroid within a heart valve in a mammal.
authors.affiliation: Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire de Nantes-Unité d'Anatomie Pathologique, Atlantopôle La Chantrerie, Nantes Cedex, France.
authors.forename: Fannie
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Baudimont
authors.forename: Helen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Booler
authors.forename: Tony
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Casey
authors.forename: Annabelle
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Heier
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001021:Aortic Valve / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D005497:Follicular Cyst / Q000473:pathology; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012376:Rodent Diseases / Q000473:pathology*; D050033:Thyroid Dysgenesis / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*