Heart failure in rupture of a sinus of valsalva aneurysm.
We report a 22-year-old man who developed shortness of breath after lifting weights and then developed acute heart failure due to rupture of an aneurysm of the right sinus of Valsalva into the right ventricle. The patient developed dyspnea, and clinical findings included tachycardia, wide pulse pressure, bounding carotid and peripheral pulses, pulmonary crackles, and prominent continuous precordial murmur with thrill. Transesophageal echocardiogram with Doppler examination confirmed the diagnosis. The patient underwent surgery with cardioplegia directly infused into the coronary arteries with excision of redundant tissue and closure of the defect with a Dacron patch. He has been asymptomatic since surgery. This condition must to be included in the differential diagnosis for young patients with heart failure.
Department of Medicine, University of Puerto Rico, School of Medicine, and Cardiovascular Center of Puerto Rico and the Caribbean.
Magda E
ME
Sánchez
Mario R
MR
García-Palmieri
Cid S
CS
Quintana
José
J
Kareh
D000328:Adult; D001014:Aortic Aneurysm / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery; D001019:Aortic Rupture / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery; D002303:Cardiac Output, Low / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology*; D006348:Cardiac Surgical Procedures; D017548:Echocardiography, Transesophageal; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012850:Sinus of Valsalva / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D016896:Treatment Outcome