[Ruptured aneurysm of the aortic sinus of Valsalva (author's transl)]

Three cases of ruptured aneurysm of the aortic sinus of Valsalva (one each into the right atrium, right ventricle and pulmonary artery) are reported and clinical as well as haemodynamic features described. It is pointed out that the right sinus is most frequently involved, the non-coronary one only rarely, and the left one only quite exceptionally. The clinical findings depend on the size, site and direction of the rupture and its haemodynamic consequences. Rupture occurs most frequently into the right attrium or ventricle, much more rarely into the pulmonary artery or left ventricle. Cardinal clinical signs are retrosternal pain, marked shock with dyspnoea and tachycardia or rapidly progressive cardiac failure. Auscultation reveals either a continuous systolic-diastolic murmur or a holosystolic crescendo-decrescendo murmur followed by a high-frequency diastolic murmur, maximal parasternally in the second to fourth left intercostal spaces. As effective surgical treatment is available, early diagnosis is essential.