Aortico-left ventricular tunnel. Recognition and repair in infancy

An infant with an aortico-left ventricular tunnel underwent surgery at the age of five months. There was clinical and electrocardiographic improvement, and postoperative cardiac catheterization demonstrated obliteration of the aortic end of the tunnel, normalization of systemic pulse pressure, mild residual aortic valvular insufficiency, and a decrease in the left ventricular end-diastolic volume index. Early surgery may limit the progression of aortic valvular insufficiency secondary to turbulent aortic-root blood flow.