Asymptomatic Interrupted Aortic Arch, Severe Tricuspid Regurgitation, and Bicuspid Aortic Valve in a 76-Year-Old Woman

Abstract

Interrupted aortic arch is a rare congenital abnormality with a high infancy mortality rate. The principal finding is loss of luminal continuity between the ascending and descending portions of the aorta. Because of the high mortality rate in infancy, interrupted aortic arch is very rare among adults. In this report, we describe the case of a 76-year-old woman with asymptomatic interrupted aortic arch, severe tricuspid regurgitation, and bicuspid aortic valve. To our knowledge, she is the oldest patient ever reported with this possibly unique combination of pathologic conditions. In addition to reporting her case, we review the relevant medical literature.

Keywords: Adult; aorta, thoracic/abnormalities; aortic valve/abnormalities; arteriovenous malformations/diagnosis/surgery; heart defects, congenital; tricuspid valve/pathology; vascular malformations/physiopathology.

Fig. 1

Aortogram shows a bicuspid aortic valve and no contrast medium passing through the descending aorta after aortic root injection.

Fig. 2

Computed tomographic angiograms (3-dimensional reconstruction) of the aorta show A) collateral circulation between the aortic arch and the descending aorta and B), in left posterior view, occlusion of the aorta (arrow) immediately distal to the left subclavian artery.