Fenestrations of the aortic valve rarely produce significant valvular regurgitation. These are typically described as incidental findings with little clinical significance because they generally lie above their closing edges. Rarely however, when unusually large or multiple, they can lead to massive aortic regurgitation (AR), mostly in patients with chronic hypertension and/or aortic annular di...

A ruptured sinus of Valsalva aneurysm rarely accompanies the aortic and tricuspid valve endocarditis. A 36-year-old woman presented with low-threshold dyspnea on exertion and fever. Transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography showed a ruptured noncoronary sinus of Valsalva aneurysm with large vegetations on the tricuspid and aortic valves, resulting in moderately severe tricuspid regurgi...

An early diastolic murmur thought to indicate functional aortic regurgitation was heard in 7 of 74 consecutive patients with end-stage renal failure assessed for chronic intermittent haemodialysis and transplantation. In all 7 cases the murmur was transient and related to episodes of hypertension and fluid overload and disappeared on correction of these factors. In a further 2 patients aortic r...

A 59-year-old woman with a left atrial myxoma was shown to have moderate aortic regurgitation. At operation for removal of the myxoma it was found to be attached to the atrial septum close to the aortic root. It is suggested that the aortic regurgitation was caused by distortion of the aortic root caused by traction upon it from the myxoma as it moved downward into the left ventricle in diastol...

BACKGROUND Risk factors for developing heart valve and ascending aortic disease are based mainly on retrospective data. To elucidate these factors in a prospective manner, we have performed a nested case-referent study using data from large, population-based surveys. METHODS AND RESULTS A total of 777 patients operated for heart valve disease or disease of the ascending aorta had previously p...

BACKGROUND Our objective was to assess phasic coronary blood flow and velocity characteristics of the proximal portion of the left anterior descending artery and to evaluate their relation to the clinical and hemodynamic manifestations in patients with aortic valve disease. METHODS AND RESULTS We examined 26 patients with chronic aortic regurgitation (AR), 12 patients with predominant aortic ...

Current imaging modalities can provide only a qualitative or semiquantitative measure of the severity of aortic regurgitation. Ultrafast computed tomography (CT) has the capability of rapid imaging (17 frames/sec) coupled with high spatial resolution (1.5 mm2). Eight millimeter thick images can be acquired to interrogate simultaneously the right and left ventricles. End-diastolic and end-systol...

We report on a middle-aged woman treated for chronic hepatitis C virus infection with pegylated interferon. Auscultation revealed a diastolic murmur and the peripheral signs of aortic regurgitation. She had shortness of breath on moderate exertion for the past 4 months, which she attributed to her liver disease. Echocardiogram showed a quadricuspid aortic valve with severe aortic regurgitation....

Background Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has become a common procedure for high-risk patients with severe aortic stenosis. Aortic regurgitation (AR) is commonly seen after TAVI, but little is known about how it evolves over time. Similarly, the impact of TAVI on left ventricular (LV) function, LV volumes and mass is not well defined.Paravalvular aortic regurgitation (AR) is fre...

BACKGROUND The treatment of patients with aortic regurgitation (AR) or mitral regurgitation (MR) relies on the accurate assessment of the severity of the regurgitation as well as its effect on left ventricular (LV) size and function. Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance (CMR) is an excellent tool for quantifying regurgitant volumes as well as LV size and function. The 2008 AHA/ACC management guide...