title: Ruptured pseudoaneurysm of aortic root graft into the pulmonary artery as a cause of severe heart failure.
abstract: A 52-year-old man presented with heart failure of 1 month duration. He had undergone aortic valve and root replacement 30 months before admission. A continuous murmur was heard in the second intercostal space at the parasternal border. Aortography showed a pseudoaneurysm surrounding the aorta, whereas color Doppler study revealed flow from the central aorta to the pseudoaneurysm and flow from the pseudoaneurysm to the pulmonary artery trunk through a fistulous communication between them. Thus, fistulous communication with pulmonary artery causing heart failure is a complication of pseudoaneurysm after aortic and root replacement, which can be diagnosed clinically and echocardiographically.
authors.affiliation: Hospital Beneficência Portuguesa, UNAERP Medical School, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil. rbestetti@netsite.com.br
authors.forename: Reinaldo B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Bestetti
authors.forename: José Roberto Costa
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Marot
authors.forename: Ulysses B
authors.initials: UB
authors.lastname: Stella
authors.forename: Luiz A P
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Finzi
mesh_terms: D017541:Aneurysm, False / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D001011:Aorta / Q000637:transplantation*; D001019:Aortic Rupture / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology*; D001159:Arterio-Arterial Fistula / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D002303:Cardiac Output, Low / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology*; D004452:Echocardiography; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D011651:Pulmonary Artery / Q000601:surgery