Acquired Sub-aortic Gerbode Defect Following Tricuspid, Aortic, and Mitral Valve Endocarditis

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Communication between the left ventricle and right atrium, termed a Gerbode ventricular septal defect (VSD), was first described in 1838 and later explained with varying etiologies, including congenital and acquired forms. Most of the acquired LV-RA shunts are of either a postoperative or of infective etiology. Among these etiologies, infective endocarditis is a rare cause, and echocardiography is a mainstay of its diagnosis and clinical management.

CASE REPORT: Here, we describe the case of a patient with bacterial endocarditis as a cause of a left ventricle to right atrium shunt, with subsequent intraoperative diagnosis and surgical repair. A 38-year-old man with a history of fever in the past 2 weeks was diagnosed with bacterial endocarditis involving the tricuspid, aortic, and mitral valve. Pre-operative transesophageal echocardiography revealed a severe aortic regurgitation with large vegetations on the right and non-coronary cusps sizing about 1 cm2. The mitral valve had mild regurgitation and some filiform vegetations on the ventricular side of the anterior leaflet. The examination showed advanced tricuspid regurgitation with vegetations on the anterior and septal leaflets. The cardiologists also measured severe pulmonary hypertension up to 90 mmHg. During surgery, after careful observation, a communication between the left ventricle and the right atrium was discovered in the area under the junction between the right and non-coronary cusps of the aortic valve. The patient underwent aortic valve replacement with a 25-mm Regent mechanical valve (St. Jude Medical, St. Paul, MN), primary closure of a 5 mm ×5 mm septal defect using polyester 2.0 pledgeted sutures, replacement of the tricuspid valve with 31-mm Epic bio-prosthesis, and curettage of the ventricular side of the anterior mitral valve leaflet. The patient’s postoperative course was uneventful and he was transferred at the infective hospital on the 10th post-operative day. After 4 weeks of parenteral antibiotic therapy, the patient was discharged in good conditions.

CONCLUSION: To the best of our knowledge, this is a unique case reported with triple valve endocarditis and Gerbode defect treated with surgery. We encourage meticulous examination of patients with endocarditis to find abnormal communications.