Observations on endocardial lesions in pigs

The heart valves and mural endocardium of 1000 sows, aged one to six years, and of 500 pigs, aged six months, were examined at the time of slaughter in an abattoir. Abnormalities were found in 9.8 per cent of sows and 1.2 per cent of the six-months-old pigs. The principal lesions encountered were atrial ridges and plaques, thickened valves, cystic valves and nonvegetative endocarditis; their histological features are described. The majority of the abnormalities were found on the left side of the heart.