Catapano Dario, Dellegrottaglie Santo, Scatteia Alessandra, Gallinoro Carlo Maria, Pascale Carmine Emanuele, Falco Luigi, Di Lorenzo Emilio, Masarone Daniele
Department of Translational Medical Sciences, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Via Leonardo Bianchi 1, 80131 Naples, Italy.
Advanced Cardiovascular Imaging Unit, Clinica Villa dei Fiori, 80011 Acerra, Italy.
Diagnostics (Basel). 2025 Apr 23;15(9):1071. doi: 10.3390/diagnostics15091071.
We discuss a case of a patient who was referred to our department for an in-depth evaluation of aortic regurgitation severity and its underlying causes. By employing a multimodal imaging strategy that combined transthoracic echocardiography (TTE), transesophageal echocardiography (TEE), and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (cMRI), we successfully identified a particularly rare cause of aortic regurgitation: chordae tendineae that lead to asymmetric retraction of the aortic cusps. Furthermore, this approach provided a clearer understanding of the aortic root anatomy and the hemodynamic effects of the regurgitant flow on the ventricle. This case demonstrates the diagnostic effectiveness of various imaging techniques and emphasizes the crucial importance of multimodal imaging for a thorough assessment of aortic valvular issues.