An unusual case of aorta-right atrial tunnel with windsock aneurysm : imaging, diagnosis and treatment

: The first successfully diagnosed and treated case of aorta-right atrial tunnel was reported by Coto et al. in 1980. The most common cause of aorta-right atrial tunnel is a ruptured aneurysm of the sinus of Valsalva. Sinus of Valsalva aneurysms had been reported as early as 1840 by Thurnam; these were diagnosed at autopsy. With the advances in radiology, many cases of aorta-right atrial tunnel have been reported since then, each with its own subtle variations. We report on a unique case of aorta-right atrial tunnel with a windsock aneurysm in the right atrium. A 55-year-old male presented with abdominal pain and the chest X-ray revealed cardiomegaly. On further investigation with echocardiography and computed tomography angiography, there was an incidental aorta-right atrial tunnel with a windsock aneurysm in the right atrium. He was treated successfully with surgery. A similar case has been reported only once before by Iyisoy et al. in 2014.