An uncommon cause of a continuous murmur.

Abstract

Aneurysms of the sinus of Valsalva are rare congenital lesions. Less often, they are encountered secondary to trauma, infective endocarditis or syphilis. The majority of these aneurysms arise from the right coronary sinus. The present report describes a rare case of an aneurysm arising from the noncoronary sinus of Valsalva and rupturing into the right atrium. Patients with unruptured aneurysms often remain asymptomatic. Rupture of the aneurysm usually causes the appearance of a continuous murmur in the left sternal border. Common sites of rupture include the right ventricle, right atrium or left atrium. Surgical repair is usually associated with a favourable outcome.