Abstract. One hundred twenty-two congenital cardiac anomalies were diagnosed in 83 pigs (4.35%) during necropsies of 1906 pigs from one day to four years of age during an 1 1-month period.The incidence of cardiac malformation was highest at 29 to 56 days of age. Of the 83 pigs with cardiac anomalies, 47 (56%) were male and 36 (44%) were female, and of these, 15 (18%) were purebred and 68 (82%) were crossbred pigs. Of the 15 purebred pigs with cardiac malformation, there were seven Landrace pigs, four Large White pigs, three Duroc Jersey pigs, and one Yorkshire pig; whereas 94% of the 68 crossbred pigs were crossbred among Landrace, Duroc Jersey, and Large White.The 122 cardiac anomalies found in the 83 pigs were: dysplasia of the tricuspid valve in 42 pigs, atrial septal defect in 31 pigs, subaortic stenosis in 22 pigs, ventricular septal defect in nine pigs, persistent common atrioventricular canal in eight pigs, malformation of the moderator band in seven pigs, persistent vena cava in one pig, persistent truncus arteriosus in one pig, and pulmonary stenosis in one pig.The pathological features of the anomalies in swine were similar to those described in small animals and in man. The findings indicate that spontaneous porcine cardiac anomalies might provide models for cardiovascular investigators to study the etiology and pathogenesis of congenital heart diseases in man and other mammals.Congenital heart diseases have been studied extensively in man and small animals, but not in swine. Subaortic stenosis [6] and patent ductus arteriosus [ 111 are common in pigs. In one study, seven (14.6%) of 48 pigs that were stillborn or died within two weeks after birth were found to have congenital anomalies [20]. Eight cases (0.5%) of cardiac malformation (dysplasia of the tricuspid valve in six pigs and persistent common atrioventricular canal in two pigs) were recognized in necropsies of 1643 pigs 8 weeks to 3.5 years of age [23]. No pigs under 56 days of age were examined.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.