Double surprise evaluated by ultrasound and CT: two independent flows from a single structure. A case report.
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37615/retic.v9n1a12Keywords:
sinus of Valsalva aneurysm, aorto-atrial fistula, heart failure, aortic regurgitation, case reportAbstract
Aneurysm of the sinus of Valsalva (ASV) is a rare anomaly that is usually asymptomatic and may be associated with other structural heart abnormalities, such as bicuspid aortic valve. Its complication due to rupture with fistulisation towards the right heart chambers can lead to haemodynamic instability and high morbidity and mortality. We present the case of a 51-year-old man with heart failure in whom imaging studies led to a diagnosis of bicuspid aortic valve associated with a ruptured non-coronary Valsalva sinus aneurysm fistulising to the right
atrium. This case is an example of how multimodal imaging is necessary for the accurate assessment of complex cardiac lesions.
Downloads
References
Ibrahim KS, Waqfi NR, Jarrah MI. Sinus of valsalva aneurysm with fistula to the right atrium presented as acute heart failure in a young man. Am J Case Rep. 2013;14:398-400. http://dx.doi.org/10.12659/AJCR.889142
Bass D, Sharma S, Alahmadi MH, Tivakaran VS. Sinus of Valsalva Aneurysm. En: StatPearls. Treasure Island (FL). StatPearls Publishing; 2025.
Doost A, Craig J-A, Soh SY. Acute rupture of a sinus of Valsalva aneurysm into the right atrium: a case report and a narrative review. BMC Cardiovasc Disord. 2020;20(1):84. http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12872-020-01383-7
Sawalha K, Lopez-Candales A. The heart’s secret bridge: Ruptured sinus of Valsalva aneurysm masquerading as a Gerbode defect. Heart Views. 2024;25(3):174-8. http://dx.doi.org/10.4103/heartviews.heartviews_48_24
Pollak AL, Vega E, Whitacre M, et al. Ruptured sinus of Valsalva aneurysm with dynamic aortic regurgitation. Echocardiography. 2023;40(1):74-81. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/echo.15502
Ali Z, Asif T, Sheehy JP, Jacob D, et al. Ruptured sinus of Valsalva aneurysm causing aorto-atrial fistula and acute heart failure: A rare encounter. Eur J Case Rep Intern Med. 2020;7(4):001499. http://dx.doi.org/10.12890/2020_001499
Nakamura Y, Burkhart HM. Sinus of Valsalva aneurysm: Defining the optimal approach. J Card Surg. 2022;37(12):4456-8. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/jocs.17060
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Marta Antonio Martín, Elena Angulo Hervías, Diana Batin, Araceli Sánchez Page, Mario José Recio Ibarz

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
RETIC is distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) license https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0 which allows sharing, copying and redistribution of the material in any medium or format, under the following terms:
- Attribution: you must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests that the licensor endorses you or your use.
- Non-commercial: you may not use the material for commercial purposes.
- No Derivatives: if you remix, transform or build upon the material, you may not distribute the modified material.
- No Additional Restrictions: you may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything permitted by the license.