We describe the successful surgical repair of an acute aortic dissection that had caused an aorto-right atrial fistula in a 67-year-old man. The patient was admitted to the hospital on an emergency basis because of severe heart failure. The diagnosis of acute aortic dissection with rupture into the right atrium was confirmed by use of intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography, although ru...

Dissection of the sinus of Valsalva is a rare and life-threatening event. It often occurs during percutaneous coronary intervention in the right coronary artery (RCA). Dissection flap usually involves the RCA and the right sinus of Valsalva. Here we report two extremely rare cases of spontaneous dissection limited to the non-coronary sinus of Valsalva, causing severe aortic valve regurgitation:...

Aneurysm of the sinus of Valsalva that causes dissection of the interventricular septum is an extremely rare entity. In this report we describe a case of aneurysm of the sinus of Valsalva dissecting into the interventricular septum, from the base to mid septum, after aortic valve replacement. After the diagnosis was made by transthoracic echocardiography and magnetic resonance imaging, the pati...

quadricuspid aortic valve (qav) is an uncommon congenital anomaly which was an incidental finding during surgery or autopsy in the past. we present the case of a 44-year-old woman with moderately severe aortic regurgitation due to unequal cusp size qav diagnosed via transesophageal echocardiography. due to echocardiographic imaging improvement, the diagnosis of qav is now easier and earlier tha...

Acute aortic syndrome affecting the aortic arch remains a treatment challenge, particularly in cases of acute dissection with an intimal tear in this location. Development of hybrid prostheses for complete treatment of the ascending aorta and aortic arch, combined with endovascular treatment of the descending aorta in a single procedure, has greatly increased the possibility of therapeutic succ...

We present an unusual case of acute type A dissection complicated with severe aortic valve insufficiency caused by prolapse of the tubular intimal flap into the left ventricular outflow tract, which was shown legibly by transesophageal echocardiography in the diastolic phase and by intraoperative macroscopic findings. The dissected ascending aorta was excised completely and replaced without any...

THE GROUP of diseases characterized by McKusick as generalized "heritable disorders of connective tissue" includes the Marfan syndrome, the Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, osteogenesis imperfecta, the Hurler syndrome, and pseudoxanthoma elasticum. With the exception of osteogenesis imperfecta, all of these have been known to involve significant cardiovascular abnormalities.' The Marfan syndrome is freq...

Fig. 1. (A) CT scan image. CT scan shows giant non-coronary sinus of Valsalva aneurysm with neighbouring structures. Arrows indicate closed aortic valves. Ao: aorta, NC-SVA: non-coronary sinus of Valsalva aneurysm, LV: left ventricle, PA: pulmonary artery. (B) TEE image. Trans-oesophageal echocardiography shows aortic cusps level image of sinus of Valsalva aneurysm. *Arrows show aortic cusps, *...

THE GROUP of diseases characterized by McKusick as generalized "heritable disorders of connective tissue" includes the Marfan syndrome, the Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, osteogenesis imperfecta, the Hurler syndrome, and pseudoxanthoma elasticum. With the exception of osteogenesis imperfecta, all of these have been known to involve significant cardiovascular abnormalities.' The Marfan syndrome is freq...

Marfan syndrome is an autosomal dominant genetic disorder that affects connective tissue and is caused by mutations in the fibrillin 1 gene present at chromosome 15. Aortic aneurysm is its main complication, and along the dilation of the aorta root and its descending portion (60-100%), with secondary aortic insufficiency, it increases risk of acute aortic dissection and death. Coronary artery a...