Objective To evaluate the clinical value of echocardiography in the diagnosis of aorticoleft ventricular tunnel.Methods The echocardiographic and clinical characteristics were retrospectively analyzed in 6 patients with aortico-left ventricular tunnel we reported and 147 cases that documents reported.Results Six patients were confirmed by operation.The main echocardiographic characteristics of aortico-left ventricular tunnel were as follows:An abnormal communication began in the ascending aorta above the level of the coronary arteries,bypassed the aortic valve,and terminated in the left ventricle.The color Doppler flow imaging demonstrated to-and-fro flow,with or without aortic valve involvement.According Hovaguimian and his colleagues,2 cases were type Ⅰ,2 cases were type Ⅲ,1 case was type Ⅳ,1 case was type Ⅱ (showed as recanalization).Base on all of the 153 patients that we and documents reported,the accuracy rate of ultrasound diagnosis was 79.6%,the misdiagnosis rate was 17.1%,and missed diagnosis rate was 3.3 %.Conclusions Echocardiography is the non-invasive and sensitive tool in the diagnosis of the type of aortico-left ventricular tunnel and structure of cardiac involvement,and is the preferred method for preoperative. Key words: Echocardiography; Heart defects,congenital; Aortico-left ventricular tunnel
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