Liau C S, Chu I T, Ho F M
Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Republic of China.
Catheter Cardiovasc Interv. 1999 Feb;46(2):210-3. doi: 10.1002/(SICI)1522-726X(199902)46:2<210::AID-CCD21>3.0.CO;2-Q.
Congenital aneurysm of the sinus of Valsalva is a rare cardiovascular anomaly. It is usually silent until rupture occurs. The natural history of unruptured aneurysm of the sinus of Valsalva is still not clear, and the therapeutic strategy is uncertain. Here we reported a case of unruptured aneurysm of the sinus of Valsalva which was correctly diagnosed before invasive diagnostic procedures. A 30-year-old female noted mild palpitation and dyspnea for 1 month. Physically, a grade 3/6 systolic ejection murmur at upper left sternal border was detected. Echocardiography revealed dilatation and irregular protrusion of the right sinus of Valsalva encroaching on right ventricular outflow tract to cause obstruction. With these findings, unruptured aneurysm of the sinus of Valsalva with pulmonary stenosis was diagnosed. Cardiac catheterization and angiography confirmed the diagnosis. The aneurysm was repaired with a Dacron patch with good results. It is concluded that sinus of Valsalva aneurysm can be diagnosed by echocardiography before its rupture so as to render a proper management for this potentially life-threatening anomaly.
瓦氏窦先天性动脉瘤是一种罕见的心血管异常。在破裂发生之前,它通常没有症状。未破裂的瓦氏窦动脉瘤的自然病程仍不清楚,治疗策略也不确定。在此,我们报告一例未破裂的瓦氏窦动脉瘤病例,该病例在进行侵入性诊断程序之前就得到了正确诊断。一名30岁女性因轻度心悸和呼吸困难1个月前来就诊。体格检查发现左胸骨上缘有3/6级收缩期喷射性杂音。超声心动图显示瓦氏窦右窦扩张并不规则突出,侵犯右心室流出道导致梗阻。根据这些发现,诊断为未破裂的瓦氏窦动脉瘤合并肺动脉狭窄。心导管检查和血管造影证实了诊断。使用涤纶补片修复动脉瘤,效果良好。结论是,瓦氏窦动脉瘤在破裂前可通过超声心动图诊断,从而对这种潜在的危及生命的异常情况进行适当处理。