City International Hospital doctors successfully intervened to treat a rare ruptured sinus of Valsalva in a 40-year-old women. — Photos Courtesy of the hospital

HCM CITY — Doctors at City International Hospital (CIH) in HCM City have successfully treated a 40-year-old woman diagnosed with a ruptured sinus of Valsalva draining into the right atrium, a rare and potentially life-threatening cardiac condition.

The sinus of Valsalva, located just above the aortic valve, rarely ruptures, and this issue affects only about 0.09 per cent of the population.

However, once rupture occurs, the condition can progress rapidly and lead to acute heart failure if not promptly treated.

The patient was admitted with sudden chest pain and shortness of breath that had persisted for three days, even during minimal physical activity.

An emergency transthoracic echocardiogram revealed abnormal blood flow from the aorta into the right atrium, confirming a ruptured sinus of Valsalva.

Dr Lê Văn Tuyến, a cardiologist at CIH, said rupture into the right atrium creates a high-pressure left-to-right shunt, causing severe volume overload of the right heart and quickly leading to heart failure.

“Early diagnosis and timely intervention are critical, as patients may develop pulmonary hypertension and severe heart failure in a short time,” he noted.

Further evaluation using transoesophageal echocardiography allowed doctors to accurately assess the size and location of the rupture and its relationship to the aortic valve, providing essential information for treatment planning.

Instead of conventional open-heart surgery, which requires cardiopulmonary bypass and prolonged recovery, the medical team opted for a minimally invasive percutaneous intervention based on favourable anatomy and imaging results.

Angiographic images show the ruptured sinus of Valsalva before (right) and after (left) occluder closure in a 40-year-old patient at City International Hospital.

Through femoral access, interventional cardiologists deployed an occluder device to seal the abnormal shunt between the aorta and the right atrium, carefully avoiding damage to the aortic valve and coronary arteries.

Following the procedure, the patient’s symptoms resolved swiftly.

She was able to walk and resume normal activities the same day and was discharged after one day of monitoring.

The successful outcome highlights CIH’s growing expertise in advanced interventional cardiology, demonstrating its ability to manage rare and high-risk cardiac conditions using modern, patient-centred treatment approaches that minimise invasiveness and speed up recovery. — VNS