Quadricuspid aortic valve by using intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography

Abstract

Quadricuspid aortic valve is a rare congenital malformation of the aortic valve. Its diagnosis is often missed even with the use of transthoracic echocardiogram. Many of these patients progress to aortic incompetence later in life, hence requiring surgical intervention. In the case described in this report, a 61-year-old woman is presented with the features of congestive heart failure. The preoperative transthoracic echocardiogram disclosed a moderate to severe aortic valve insufficiency but failed to reveal the quadricuspid aortic value anomaly. This case underscores the important role of three-dimensional transesophageal echocardiography for the diagnosis of quadricuspid aortic valve. © 2010 Xiao et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.