Introduction

• Cause: unknown.
• Signs: highly variable and depend on the severity of the underlying disease.
• Diagnosis: echocardiography, radiography, electrocardiography.
• Treatment: not recommended as long as ferrets are asymptomatic.
• Prognosis: guarded.

Pathogenesis

Etiology

• Its cause is currently unknown.

Pathophysiology

• Valvular endocardiosis is characterized by degenerative changes and depositions of proteoglycans and glycosaminoglycans in the subendocardial valve leaflets and chordae tendineae.
• This leads to progressive valvular dysfunction, regurgitation of blood across the closed valve, and, in the final stages, to congestive heart failure. The aortic and mitral valves appear most commonly affected.
• Changes occasionally are found to the tricuspid and pulmonic valves.  
• Gross lesions include opaque nodular thickening and shortening at the free edge and base of the valve leaflets.
• Mitral and aortic valve regurgitation may lead to secondary dilatation of the left atrium and ventricle. Isolated aortic valve regurgitation is often an incidental finding and rarely gives rise to congestive heart failure as a result of volume overload.
• Left-sided heart failure may develop when there is concurrent mitral valve regurgitation and/or other abnormalities such as third-degree heart block. Pulmonary edema, pleural effusion may develop.
• With tricuspid valve regurgitation: right atrial and ventricular dilatation and subsequent right-sided heart failure, eg hepatosplenomegaly, ascites, may develop.

Diagnosis

Treatment

Outcomes