title: Aortic valve injury following blunt chest trauma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Heart valve injury following blunt chest trauma of car accidents is increasing. Although aortic valve involvement is rare, however, in survivors of blunt cardiac trauma it is the most commonly involved valve and the most frequent valve lesion is isolated injury of the noncoronary cusp of aortic valve.
  
  
  METHODS
  A 31-year-old man with a history of car accident (five months before) was referred to our clinic because of shortness of breath. A holo-diastolic blowing murmur was heard on physical examination. Transesophageal echocardiography demonstrated severe aortic insufficiency secondary to rupture of the left coronary cusp associated with avulsion of aortic valve commissure.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Since the aortic valve is rarely affected in blunt cardiac injury, it will be generally undiagnosed during the primary evaluation of a patient with blunt chest trauma. However, any patient presenting dyspnea after chest trauma should be examined for suspected aortic valve injury.
authors.affiliation: Echocardiography Research Center, Rajaie Cardiovascular Medical and Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Maryam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Esmaeilzadeh
authors.affiliation: Emam Reza Hospital, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Hedieh
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Alimi
authors.affiliation: Echocardiography Research Center, Rajaie Cardiovascular Medical and Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Majid
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Maleki
authors.affiliation: Heart Valve Disease Research Center, Rajaie Cardiovascular Medical and Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Saeid
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hosseini
keywords: Aortic Valve; Aortic Valve Insufficiency; Echocardiography; Rupture