Endocardial fibroelastosis in a quarterhorse mare

A 4-year-old crossbred Quarterhorse mare was submitted to the Clemson Veterinary Diagnostic Center for necropsy examination with a chronic history of inappetence, weight loss and lethargy. Prior to death the horse had developed mild diarrhoea and began showing evidence of colic. Necropsy examination revealed a markedly enlarged heart due predominantly to marked dilation of the right atrium, tortuous congested mesenteric blood vessels, marked ascites, pleural effusion and pulmonary oedema. Further examination of the heart showed the endocardium of the left side of the heart, including the mitral valve leaflets, to be diffusely thickened. Microscopically, the endocardial thickening was due to deposition of fibrous connective tissue and elastin fibres. These findings are consistent with a diagnosis of endocardial fibroelastosis.