Primary or idiopathic cardiomyopathies describe a clinical syndrome cused by generalized heart muscle diseases of unknown cause and are devided into dilated, hypertrophic and restrictive types. All types of cardiomyopathy are an important cause of morbidity and mortality in animals. In contrast to secondary causes of heart muscle diseases, such as nutritional deficiencies and toxic agents, relatively little is known about the pathogenesis of primary cardiomyopathies. Heart morphology is not always specific in this group of diseases, but a thorough pathologic examination provides the clue to the definitive diagnosis. In this article, the gross anatomic and histologic features of primary cardiomyopathies in cats, dogs and cattle are described.
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