Caruso A, Iarussi D, Materazzi C, Dialetto G, Covino F, Bossone E, Cotrufo M
Istituto Medico Chirurgico di Cardiologia, Seconda Università, Ospedale Monaldi, Naples, Italy.
Echocardiography. 2000 May;17(4):337-40. doi: 10.1111/j.1540-8175.2000.tb01146.x.
Aortic dissection with rupture into the right atrium is an extremely rare and rapidly fatal condition that may occur after cardiac surgery. We report the case of a 59-year-old woman with a 6-year history of heart transplantation who presented with subacute illness characterized by chest pain and severe cardiac decompensation accompanied by a continuous murmur in the precordium. The diagnosis of aortic dissection complicated by right atrial fistula was made by the combination of transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiographic examination.
