Acquired right ventricular outflow tract obstruction.

I t is not unusual for complicated aneurysms of the ascending aorta to affect left ventricular function. Processes causing or associated with an aneurysm may narrow the coronary artery ostia and produce myocardial ischemia or infarction; the aneurysm may distort the aortic valve ring and produce aortic insufficiency with subsequent left ventricular hypertrophy, dilatation, and failure. However, an unusual manner in which an aortic aneurysm can lead to heart failure is by right ventricular outflow tract obstruction. Here, the clinical picture often resembles that of pulmonic stenosis. This report describes such a complication of an aortic aneurysm and focuses attention on the variety of mechanisms by which acquired right ventricular outflow tract obstruction may be produced