Surgical treatment of the ruptured aneurysm of the aortic sinuses

Over the past 11 years, 51 patients (36 male, 15 female) underwent operation to correct ruptured sinus of Valsalva at the Shanghai Chest Hospital. Associated lesions were present in 36 patients. All patients had cardiac enlargement, pulmonary plethora, and prominence of the main pulmonary arterial trunk. Preoperative arterial pressure averaged 135/46 mm Hg (range, 200-96/95-0 mm Hg). At operation the cardiac chamber into which the ruptured aneurysm emptied was opened. The projecting aneurysmal sac was resected at its base, leaving a fringe of 2 to 3 mm for suturing. A double-layer suture closure was used, first a row of figure-of-eight sutures, followed by a row of buttressed mattress sutures. Forty-five patients survived operation; 6 died shortly after operation, a perioperative mortality of 11.8%. Follow-up averaged 4 to 8 months. Thirty-eight patients were symptom free and working; 7 had returned to part-time work. There were no late deaths. A grade II systolic murmur persists in 2 patients, and in 1 of them a loud continuous murmur and thrill were both noted. All patients who survived have shown remarkable reduction in cardiothoracic ratio and improvement in symptoms. These results justify early surgical intervention.