Acute Aortic Regurgitation due to Spontaneous Laceration of the Aorta

We report a relatively rare case of acute aortic regurgitation due to spontaneous laceration of aorta without dissecting aneurysm. A 73-year-old male who had complained of sudden onset of chest discomfort was admitted to our hospital, and severe aortic regurgitation with aortic valve prolapse was detected by echocardiography. There were not any echographic and radiographic evidences of dissecting aneurysm. At operation, a transverse laceration was noted in the sinus portion below the commissure of left and non-coronary cusps of the aortic valve with detachment of the commissure from the aortic wall resulting in prolapse of the left and non-coronary cusps. We performed aortic root replacement and the post-operative course was uneventful. Acute aortic regurgitation due to spontaneous laceration of aorta without dissecting aneurysm is relatively rare but should be considered as a course of acute aortic regurgitation with aortic valvular prolapse even if there is no evidence of classical dissecting aneurysm.