Abstract
BackgroundThoracic aortic rupture and aortopulmonary fistulation are rare conditions in horses. It mainly affects Friesian horses. Intrinsic differences in biomechanical properties of the aortic wall might predispose this breed. The biomechanical and biochemical properties of the thoracic aorta were characterized in warmblood horses, unaffected Friesian horses and Friesians with aortic rupture in an attempt to unravel the underlying pathogenesis of aortic rupture in Friesian horses. Samples of the thoracic aorta at the ligamentum arteriosum (LA), mid thoracic aorta (T1) and distal thoracic aorta (T2) were obtained from Friesian horses with aortic rupture (A), nonaffected Friesian (NA) and warmblood horses (WB). The biomechanical properties of these samples were determined using uniaxial tensile and rupture assays. The percentages of collagen and elastin (mg/mg dry weight) were quantified.ResultsData revealed no significant biomechanical nor biochemical differences among the different groups of horses. The distal thoracic aorta displayed an increased stiffness associated with a higher collagen percentage in this area and a higher load-bearing capacity compared to the more proximal segments.ConclusionsOur findings match reported findings in other animal species. Study results did not provide evidence that the predisposition of the Friesian horse breed for aortic rupture can be attributed to altered biomechanical properties of the aortic wall.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12917-015-0597-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Highlights
Thoracic aortic rupture and aortopulmonary fistulation are rare conditions in horses
The σfail (MPa), the tissue strength, was significantly (p < 0.001) higher at location Distal end of the thoracic aorta (T2) compared to ligamentum arteriosum (LA) and Mid thoracic aorta (T1) (B: 0.22 ± 0.06; T1: 0.31 ± 0.06; T2: 0.73 ± 0.07) (Fig. 2)
The aorta of the affected Friesians at the rupture site (LA) tended to contain a numerically higher collagen percentage compared to the non-affected Friesian and warmblood horses, this difference was not statistically significant (p > 0.05) (Fig. 4)
Summary
Thoracic aortic rupture and aortopulmonary fistulation are rare conditions in horses. Intrinsic differences in biomechanical properties of the aortic wall might predispose this breed. The aorta serves as a conduit and plays a major role in regulating the entire cardiovascular system thanks to its biomechanical properties. In non-Friesian horse breeds, aortic rupture is rare. It typically occurs at the level of the sinuses of Valsalva. In most cases it leads to acute death [5]. Survival up to several months has been reported [7]
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