Imaging of aortico-left ventricular tunnel by three-dimensional echocardiography.

Aortico-left ventricular tunnel (ALVT) is a rare congenital heart disease presenting as congestive heart failure in the neonatal or early infantile period due to severe aortic regurgitation (AR). We presented a 1-month-old boy with ALVT, originally diagnosed by two-dimensional echocardiography; however, the detailed anatomical features were not ascertained. Real-time three-dimensional echocardiography (RT3DE) could provide clear images of the three-dimensional structures of ALVT, just the same as those of surgical findings. ALVT originated from the left coronary cusp and ran an oblique path to the subvalvular orifice, having a narrow segment in the middle. RT3DE is a clinically useful diagnostic tool to clarify the detailed anatomy of ALVT.