Aortic insufficiency of unusual etiology.

Abstract

Aortic insufficiency is usually caused by rheumatic or luetic involvement of the aortic valve. Unusual causes may include the following uncommon clinical conditions: (1) functional aortic insufficiency caused by dilatation of the aortic valve ring secondary to prolonged hypertension, (2) fenestrations of the aortic valve, (3) trauma to the aortic valve, (4) congenital abnormalities of the aortic valve, (5) dissecting aortic aneurysms, (6) bacterial endocarditis, (7) brucellosis, (8) Marfan's syndrome, (9) rheumatoid spondylitis, and (10) arteriosclerosis of the aortic valve per se, with or without calcific aortic stenosis. Three cases of aortic insufficiency which resulted from arteriosclerotic involvement of the valve are detailed. A fourth case, in which aortic insufficiency was caused by redundancy of the aortic valves, is perhaps the only case of its type recorded to date.