Ruptured aneurysm of the sinus of Valsalva into the right ventricle--apropos of a case

A 37 year old man was referred to our institution because of a cardiac murmur, exertional dyspnea and fatigue, symptoms that began since 18 years of age. He reported a cardiac murmur since childhood, with no past history of rheumatic fever or infectious endocarditis. On clinic examination there was a systolic-diastolic murmur louder in the third and fourth left intercostal space, just at the sternal left border. The 2 D-echo revealed a small disruption in the aorto-septal continuity. Right heart catheterisation was performed, showing an increased pressure in the pulmonary artery and right ventricle; an increase in the oxygen saturation on the right heart chambers, suggested the presence of a left-to-right shunt, nevertheless the exact location of the defect was not possible to recognise. The study was complemented with Doppler color flow imaging that revealed a turbulent flow through the defect, with blood flowing from the aortic root into the right ventricular outflow tract. The diagnosis of ruptured aneurysm of sinus of Valsalva was made, being confirmed later by aortic angiography. A rare case is reported in which an aneurysm of the right coronary sinus ruptured into the right ventricle; we emphasize the important contribution of the Doppler color flow imaging to the correct diagnosis, technique rarely described in this type of complication.