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Case Reports
. 2024 Dec 8;16(12):e75305.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.75305. eCollection 2024 Dec.

Aortic Unicuspid Valve Surgery in a Young Patient: A Case Report

Tomohiro Nakajima  1 , Tsuyoshi Shibata  1 , Yutaka Iba  1 , Masayuki Akatsuka  2 , Nobuyoshi Kawaharada  1
Affiliations
Case Reports

Aortic Unicuspid Valve Surgery in a Young Patient: A Case Report

Tomohiro Nakajima et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

The patient was a 33-year-old male. He was noted to have a systolic murmur in the aortic valve region during childhood and underwent balloon valvuloplasty at a pediatric clinic. However, he was not followed up thereafter. Recently, he began experiencing exertional dyspnea and presented to our cardiology department. Detailed examinations, including echocardiography, revealed moderate aortic regurgitation and stenosis, and a unicuspid aortic valve was suspected morphologically. After discussing the findings with the patient, he opted for surgical treatment. The operation was performed under general anesthesia via a median sternotomy. Intraoperative inspection of the aortic valve confirmed a unicuspid morphology, consistent with the preoperative findings. The unicuspid valve was excised and replaced with a mechanical valve (St. Jude Medical (SJM) 25 mm). The surgery was completed without complications, and the postoperative course was uneventful. The patient was discharged home on postoperative day 10. Five years postoperatively, the patient remains asymptomatic and in good condition. Given the rarity of unicuspid aortic valve cases, this report is of significant clinical value.

Keywords: aortic valve replacement; aortic valve stenosis; cardiac arrest; unicuspid valve; young.

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Conflict of interest statement

Human subjects: Consent for treatment and open access publication was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Preoperative chest radiograph.
The cardiothoracic ratio was 0.50 and there was no pulmonary congestion (green arrow).
Figure 2
Figure 2. Preoperative echocardiography.
(A) Long-axis image of the left sternal border. (B) The mosaic flow was observed at the aortic valve (green arrow).
Figure 3
Figure 3. Preoperative enhanced computed tomography.
Aortic valve view. The number of aortic valve leaflets was unknown (green arrow).
Figure 4
Figure 4. Intraoperative images.
(A) Aortic valve before resection. All valves were fused, with a diagnosis of a unicuspid valve. (B) After resection.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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