Non-proliferative and Proliferative Lesions of the Cardiovascular System of the Rat and Mouse

The INHAND Project (International Harmonization of Nomenclature and Diagnostic Criteriafor Lesions in Rats and Mice) is a joint initiative of the Societies of ToxicologicPathology from Japan (JSTP), Europe (ESTP), Great Britain (BSTP) and North America (STP)to develop an internationally-accepted nomenclature for proliferative andnon-proliferative lesions in laboratory animals. The primary purpose of this publicationis to provide a standardized nomenclature for characterizing lesions observed in thecardiovascular (CV) system of rats and mice commonly used in drug or chemical safetyassessment. The standardized nomenclature presented in this document is also availableelectronically for society members on the internet (http://goreni.org). Accurate andprecise morphologic descriptions of changes in the CV system are important forunderstanding the mechanisms and pathogenesis of those changes, differentiation of naturaland induced injuries and their ultimate functional consequence. Challenges in nomenclatureare associated with lesions or pathologic processes that may present as a temporal orpathogenic spectrum or when natural and induced injuries share indistinguishable features.Specific nomenclature recommendations are offered to provide a consistent approach.