L. Missault et al., ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY OF SINUS OF VALSALVA ANEURYSM WITH RUPTURE INTO THE RIGHT ATRIUM, International journal of cardiology, 47(3), 1995, pp. 269-272
Before the advent of modern techniques, diagnosing unruptured sinus of
Valsalva aneurysm in the living patient was rare, with most of the re
ports coming from autopsy or surgery. Once rupture occurs however, cha
racteristic symptoms and signs, such as precordial distress, a continu
ous murmur over the base of the heart, pulmonary congestion, and conge
stive heart failure, usually occur rather abruptly. We describe a case
of ruptured aneurysm of the non-coronary sinus of Valsalva diagnosed
by transthoracic echocardiography and Doppler as a single examination
for quickly establishing a correct diagnosis in patients with a new co
ntinuous murmur.