Spontaneous lesions in the aorta of the common brown hare (Lepus europaeus)

The intimal surface of the aortic arch of 16 of 20 male common brown hares and 10 of 14 females had raised pale yellow to grey-white plaques up to 6 mm in diameter. These lesions were characterised by necrosis and calcification mainly in the tunica media and were not related to the age of the hares. In the hare this vascular disease may develop after injury to the connective tissue during obliteration of the ductus arteriosus. Although these aortic lesions were not the 'spontaneous' atherosclerotic variety they were morphologically similar to those in rabbits.