Acute Traumatic Aortic Regurgitation After Blunt Back Trauma

Traumatic acute aortic regurgitation is rare but potentially fatal. We report a 68-year-old man who developed acute heart failure the night after blunt trauma to the back. Echocardiography revealed severe aortic regurgitation requiring urgent aortic valve replacement. Histologic examination demonstrated a cusp tear with fibrin deposition and collagen degeneration, findings suggesting that both mechanical stress and intrinsic cusp vulnerability may contribute to traumatic aortic valve injury.