Normal Pregnancy and Birth Despite Ruptured Sinus of Valsalva Aneurysm: Another Case for the Record

Abstract

Sinus of Valsalva aneurysm is a rare cardiac abnormality. Ruptured sinus of Valsalva aneurysms in pregnancy are of course rarer still. We present a case in which an aneurysm ruptured into the right ventricular outflow tract during pregnancy. In 2012, a 26-year-old Chinese woman, in the 18th week of pregnancy and with no apparent evidence of cardiac problems, was diagnosed with atrioventricular septal defects and a sinus of Valsalva aneurysm that had ruptured into her right ventricular outflow tract. After an uncomplicated full-term pregnancy, she gave birth to a healthy baby boy by cesarean section. Fifty days postpartum, the patient underwent surgical repair of the ruptured aneurysm and other cardiac defects. Her surgical outcome was good. As of May 2013, the patient and her baby were healthy. Ruptured sinus of Valsalva aneurysm in pregnancy can be asymptomatic, and women with such a rupture can have a normal full-term pregnancy and give birth to healthy babies. Cesarean section is preferable for pregnant women with ruptured sinus of Valsalva aneurysm because the hemodynamic changes associated with labor can aggravate the aneurysm. Surgical repair should be performed as soon as the patient's condition allows.