title: Friesian horses as a possible model for human acquired aortopulmonary fistulation.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Acquired aortopulmonary fistulation is a rare condition in humans. It usually results as a late complication of a true or pseudoaneurysm of the thoracic aorta. It is most commonly associated with trauma or surgery, less commonly with atherosclerosis, inflammation, hypertension or Marfan's syndrome. Aortopulmonary fistulation is also seen as a rare complication of acute aortic dissection. On rare occasions, acquired aortopulmonary fistulation is reported in aged patients without any of the above mentioned triggering factors. Thus, these cases should be considered as idiopathic aortopulmonary fistulation. Clearly, the pathogenesis of this condition is not yet completely understood. Friesian horses are highly inbred and are affected by several genetic conditions. Rupture of the thoracic aorta has a relatively high prevalence in Friesian horses and is often characterized by the formation of a pseudoaneurysm with subsequent fistulation into the pulmonary artery. Affected animals may survive for several weeks to months.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Here we performed vascular casting in three affected Friesian horses. In all three cases, an aortic rupture at the caudoventral side of the aorta was connected with a rupture of the main pulmonary artery just proximal to its bifurcation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Affected Friesians show a consistent location and configuration of the aortic rupture site, very similar to the human condition and therefore could act as a spontaneous model to study this disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Bacteriology and Poultry Diseases, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium. Veronique.saey@ugent.be.
authors.forename: V
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7250-5006
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Saey
authors.affiliation: Department of Morphology, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Vandecasteele
authors.affiliation: Department of Large Animal Internal Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: van Loon
authors.affiliation: Department of Morphology, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Cornillie
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ploeg
authors.affiliation: Department of Comparative Physiology and Biometrics, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Delesalle
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gröne
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Medical Imaging and Small Animal Orthopaedics, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Gielen
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Bacteriology and Poultry Diseases, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ducatelle
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Bacteriology and Poultry Diseases, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Chiers
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001019:Aortic Rupture / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology; D001159:Arterio-Arterial Fistula / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D003326:Coronary Circulation; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D006736:Horses; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011651:Pulmonary Artery / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D014465:Ultrasonics
keywords: Aortic rupture; Aortopulmonary fistulation; Friesian horses; Pseudoaneurysm