title: Valsalva sinus aneurysms: findings at CT and MR imaging.
abstract: Aneurysms of the Valsalva sinus (aortic sinus) can be congenital or acquired and are rare. They are more common among men than women and among Asians than other ethnic groups. Nonruptured aneurysms may be asymptomatic and incidentally discovered, or they may be symptomatic and manifest acutely with mass effect on adjacent cardiac structures. Ruptured Valsalva sinus aneurysms result in an aortocardiac shunt and may manifest as insidiously progressive congestive heart failure, severe acute chest pain with dyspnea, or, in extreme cases, cardiac arrest. Although both ruptured and nonruptured Valsalva sinus aneurysms may have potentially fatal complications, after treatment the prognosis is excellent. Thus, prompt and accurate diagnosis is critical. Most Valsalva sinus aneurysms are diagnosed on the basis of echocardiography, with or without angiography. However, both electrocardiographically gated computed tomography and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging can provide excellent anatomic depiction, and MR imaging can provide valuable functional information.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology,Cleveland Clinic Foundation, 9500 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, OH 44195, USA. brickea2@ccf.org
authors.forename: Aliye Ozsoyoglu
authors.initials: AO
authors.lastname: Bricker
authors.forename: Bindu
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Avutu
authors.forename: Tan-Lucien H
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Mohammed
authors.forename: Eric E
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: Williamson
authors.forename: Imran S
authors.initials: IS
authors.lastname: Syed
authors.forename: Paul R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Julsrud
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Schoenhagen
authors.forename: Jacobo
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kirsch
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000784:Aortic Dissection / Q000175:diagnosis*; D001014:Aortic Aneurysm / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012850:Sinus of Valsalva / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*