Cartilagenous and osseous metaplasia were observed in the heart of a 370-day-old male Charles River-CD rat. The papillary muscle, chordae tendineae, subendocardium, and myocardium of the left ventricle were affected, and the lesions resembled in most instances an endochondral bone formation with primitive bone marrow. A few emboli of cartilage surrounded by fibrous tissue were also observed in the lumen of the left ventricle. Severe cardiomyopathies were noted, and these were associated with the metaplastic changes.
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