title: An unusual case of aorta-right atrial tunnel with windsock aneurysm: imaging, diagnosis and treatment.
abstract: The first successfully diagnosed and treated case of aorta-right atrial tunnel was reported by Coto et al. in 1980. The most common cause of aorta-right atrial tunnel is a ruptured aneurysm of the sinus of Valsalva. Sinus of Valsalva aneurysms had been reported as early as 1840 by Thurnam; these were diagnosed at autopsy. With the advances in radiology, many cases of aorta-right atrial tunnel have been reported since then, each with its own subtle variations. We report on a unique case of aorta-right atrial tunnel with a windsock aneurysm in the right atrium. A 55-year-old male presented with abdominal pain and the chest X-ray revealed cardiomegaly. On further investigation with echocardiography and computed tomography angiography, there was an incidental aorta-right atrial tunnel with a windsock aneurysm in the right atrium. He was treated successfully with surgery. A similar case has been reported only once before by Iyisoy et al. in 2014.
authors.affiliation: University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa. Email: aneesahkhan@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Shehzaadi Aneesah
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Khan
authors.affiliation: University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa.
authors.forename: Leonie
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Scholtz
authors.affiliation: University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa.
authors.forename: F Adriaan
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Snyders
authors.affiliation: University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa.
authors.forename: Johan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: de Villiers
mesh_terms: D017542:Aneurysm, Ruptured / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery; D001014:Aortic Aneurysm / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery; D006348:Cardiac Surgical Procedures; D004452:Echocardiography; D006325:Heart Atria / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012850:Sinus of Valsalva / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000196:embryology* / Q000601:surgery; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed