Abstract
Aortico-left ventricular tunnel (ALVT) is a rare congenital heart disease presenting as congestive heart failure in the neonatal or early infantile period due to severe aortic regurgitation (AR). We presented a 1-month-old boy with ALVT, originally diagnosed by two-dimensional echocardiography; however, the detailed anatomical features were not ascertained. Real-time three-dimensional echocardiography (RT3DE) could provide clear images of the three-dimensional structures of ALVT, just the same as those of surgical findings. ALVT originated from the left coronary cusp and ran an oblique path to the subvalvular orifice, having a narrow segment in the middle. RT3DE is a clinically useful diagnostic tool to clarify the detailed anatomy of ALVT.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Levy MJ, Lillehei CW, Anderson RC, Amplatz K, Edwards JE. Aortico-left ventricular tunnel. Circulation. 1963;27:841–53.
Martins JD, Sherwood MC, Mayer JE Jr, Keane JF. Aortico-left ventricular tunnel: 35-year experience. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2004;44(2):446–50.
Horváth P, Balaji S, Skovránek S, Hucin B, de Leval MR, Stark J. Surgical treatment of aortico-left ventricular tunnel. Eur J Cardiothorac Surg. 1991;5(3):113–6.
Sreeram N, Franks R, Arnold R, Walsh K. Aortico-left ventricular tunnel: long-term outcome after surgical repair. J Am Coll Cardiol. 1991;17(4):950–5.
Somerville J, English T, Ross DN. Aorto-left ventricular tunnel. Clinical features and surgical management. Br Heart J. 1974;36(4):321–8.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Tazawa, S., Yasukochi, S., Takigiku, K. et al. Imaging of aortico-left ventricular tunnel by three-dimensional echocardiography. J Echocardiogr 8, 94–96 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12574-010-0034-0
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12574-010-0034-0