SUCCESSFUL SURGICAL CORRECTION OF TRAUMATIC AORTIC VALVE REGURGITATION.

Traumatic aortic valve regurgitation has been recognized for more than a century, but only recently has surgical correction been possible. Typical clinical features include trauma, followed by pain and often syncope, a musical aortic diastolic murmur, and progressive cardiac decompensation. Successful replacement of the aortic valve was performed in a 41-year-old woman whose aortic valve was torn in an automobile accident. This case is believed to be the first reported in which total correction was followed by survival, and illustrates the necessity for accurate diagnosis and surgical therapy in such patients.