State of the mitral valve in rabbits with hypokinesia

In hypokinesia, edema of all the layers of the mitral value was observed, which resulted in morphological changes of the cellular and noncellular components. An increase in ratio of elastic and collagenic fibers in the value was also observed along with and changes in their structural and staining properties. The observed changes can limit valve mobility and can result in manifestations of cardiac valve insufficiency, which is found clinically.