Meuris B, Daenen W, Flameng W
Department of Cardiac Surgery, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
Heart Surg Forum. 2005;8(2):E79-81. doi: 10.1532/HSF98.20041157.
We report a case of a 56-year old man presenting with dehiscence of a valved conduit in the ascending aorta following low-velocity blunt thoracic trauma. The patient had a history of a Bentall procedure in 1994. Two weeks before referral to our hospital, the patient fell during a bicycle ride and hit the handlebars of the bicycle with his chest. During the days following the accident, the patient developed progressively worsening fatigue, shortness of breath, and intolerance for even minor physical effort. The presence of an enlarged ascending aorta surrounding the implanted valved graft was confirmed, and the patient was referred to our department for surgical repair, after which the patient had an uneventful recovery and was discharged home on postoperative day 12.