Unusual cause of dyspnoea: A case presentation of an echocardiographic pitfall

Abstract

Congenital or acquired communication between the left ventricle and the right atrium is known as the Gerbode defect, which is rarely diagnosed since the defect is very unusual and for this reason often misinterpreted as an eccentric tricuspid regurgitation jet.The entity and reason of the defect is unknown to many physicians, so that profound knowledge and a careful and meticulous echocardiogram are necessary in order to prevent misinterpretation of this defect as a pulmonary hypertension.We report the case of a 76-year-old Austrian woman who developed such a Gerbode defect after a recent bioprosthetic aortic valve replacement. © 2013 Primus et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.