Multimodality imaging for comprehensive non-invasive diagnosis of aorto-left ventricular tunnel in infancy.

BACKGROUND: Aorto-left ventricular tunnel (ALVT) is a paravalvular communication between aorta and left ventricle. It is one of the rare congenital heart diseases which could present with heart failure.

CASE PRESENTATION: A case of ALVT was diagnosed in infancy. Preliminary assessment was possible using conventional echocardiography; however, functional assessment and accurate anatomy of ALVT were further verified via variable imaging modalities starting from speckle tracking and three-dimensional echocardiography to cardiac CT angiogram. The tunnel was successfully repaired with uneventful recovery.

CONCLUSIONS: Multimodality imaging can accurately assess cardiac function and demonstrate the anatomy of ALVT noninvasively to plan for successful intervention.