Cardiovascular System
Heart - Inflammation
Narrative
Valvular inflammation commonly refers to an inflammatory lesion of the heart valves. The diagnostic features include the presence of vegetative plaques composed of mixed inflammatory cells including neutrophils in a matrix of fibrin that may also contain colonies of bacteria. Hemorrhage may be present in the underlying valvular stroma, and reactive hyperplasia may be present in the adjacent endothelium or underlying stromal cells. Valvular endocarditis may be an incidental finding. Lesions may be consistent with sepsis, and other organs should be examined for evidence of septicemia.
In NTP studies, there are five standard categories of inflammation: acute, suppurative, chronic, chronic-active, and granulomatous. In acute inflammation, the predominant infiltrating cell is the neutrophil, though fewer macrophages and lymphocytes may also be present (Figure 1








Wachtman LM, Browning MD, Bedja D, Pin S, Gabrielson KL. 2006. Validation of the use of long-term indwelling jugular catheters in a rat model of cardiotoxicity. J Am Assoc Lab Anim Sci 45(5):55-64.
Abstract: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16995648Heart, Valve - Inflammation, Acute in a female F344/N rat from a chronic study. Neutrophils (arrows) are present within a valve.