title: Rupture of a noncoronary sinus of Valsalva aneurysm into the left atrium: a rare cause of acute pulmonary edema.
abstract: A sinus of Valsalva aneurysm is a dilatation of the aortic wall caused by the lack of continuity between the middle layer of the aortic wall and the aortic valve. It has an incidence of <0.1%. The most common cause of a sinus of Valsalva aneurysms is congenital, although they may also be acquired. The most common complication is rupture into the right atrium or ventricle, with rupture into the left chambers occurring very rarely. We present a 40-year-old man admitted to the hospital with an acute onset of respiratory distress and pleuritic chest pain. Transthoracic echocardiography followed by transesophageal echocardiography showed rupture of a noncoronary aneurysm of Valsalva sinus into the left atrium. The jet from the fistula caused retrograde flow into the pulmonary veins.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Faculty of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran.
authors.forename: Maryam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nabati
authors.forename: Rahman
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ghaffari
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ghaemian
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001014:Aortic Aneurysm / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery; D001019:Aortic Rupture / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery; D006332:Cardiomegaly / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology; D017548:Echocardiography, Transesophageal; D004562:Electrocardiography; D006325:Heart Atria / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011654:Pulmonary Edema / Q000209:etiology*; D013902:Radiography, Thoracic; D012850:Sinus of Valsalva / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery; D013610:Tachycardia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology
keywords: aneurysm; left atrium; rupture; sinus of Valsalva; transesophageal echocardiography; transthoracic echocardiography