We report the successful surgical treatment of a case of aortic valve destruction and pseudoaneurysm of the sinus of Valsalva associated with infective endocarditis (IE) in an 80-year-old woman. Multidetector-row computed tomography revealed an abnormal cavity in the left posterior aortic root. We had made the diagnosis of the aortic valve destruction and saccular pseudoaneurysm of the sinus of...

Dissection of the interventricular septum (IVS) is an extremely rare entity. An institutional echocardiographic database was retrospectively reviewed; 13 patients with a diagnosis of IVS dissection were found and confirmed by cardiac surgery. The purposes of the study were: to determine the value of transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) in establishing the diagnosis of IVS dissection, and to det...

We report a case of aortic root dissection in a middle-aged male without history of recent trauma, presenting as a critical aortic regurgitation due to right cusp dislodgement. The intraoperative transesophageal echocardiogram revealed the "double aortic valve" sign suggestive of low dissection, which proved to extend to both coronary arteries.

Sinus of Valsalva aneurysms are uncommon. Aortic sinus aneurysm may be complicated by endocarditis or rupture. A 26 year old native Ghanaian presented with dyspnoea, raised jugular venous pressure (JVP), tender hepatomegaly, peripheral oedema, a thrill and a continuous murmur at the upper left sternal edge. Two-dimensional doppler echocardiography with colour flow mapping revealed a large aneur...

BACKGROUND The aorta is exposed to hemodynamic stress during exercise, but whether or not the aorta is larger in athletes is not clear. We performed a systematic literature review and meta-analysis to examine whethere athletes demonstrate increased aortic root dimensions compared with nonathlete controls. METHODS AND RESULTS We searched MEDLINE and Scopus from inception through August 12, 201...

BACKGROUND Aortic dilatation and dissection are severe complications of pregnancy that may cause maternal death. The purpose of the present study was to investigate risk factors for aortic dilatation or dissection in pregnant Japanese women with Marfan syndrome. METHODS AND RESULTS A total of 28 patients with Marfan syndrome were investigated retrospectively during pregnancy and after deliver...

Coronary arterial obstruction associated with congenital aortic valve disease is rare in childhood. We studied two children with aortic valve disease and symptoms of coronary insufficiency. Cineangiography revealed localized obstruction of the proximal left coronary artery. In one patient, a membrane-like structure partially covered the left sinus of Valsalva, almost isolating the ostium of the...

Sinus of Valsalva aneurysm is a rare anomaly, most often caused by a congenital absence of muscular and elastic tissue in the aortic wall of the sinus of Valsalva. It was first described in 1938. The incidence is higher in eastern than western populations. Various surgical repair techniques have been reported with good results. In this case, a 61 years old man, with history of aortic valve repl...

BACKGROUND The risk of aortic dissection is 100-fold increased in Turner syndrome (TS). Unfortunately, risk stratification is inadequate due to a lack of insight into the natural course of the syndrome-associated aortopathy. Therefore, this study aimed to prospectively assess aortic dimensions in TS. METHODS Eighty adult TS patients were examined twice with a mean follow-up of 2.4 ± 0.4 years...