Quadricuspid Pulmonary Valve on CT: A Rare Incidental Finding in a 43-Year-Old Woman With Sudden Epigastric Pain
A radiologist’s approach to quadricuspid pulmonary valve: CT diagnosis, four-cusp morphology, differential diagnosis, pulmonary regurgitation, pulmonary artery aneurysm, multimodality imaging, management, and prognosis. By Hwunjae Lee, MD, PhD Introduction A 43-year-old woman presented with sudden epigastric pain radiating to the back . That clinical description immediately raises an important diagnostic concern. Sudden severe upper abdominal or epigastric pain extending toward the back can represent acute aortic syndrome (AAS) , including aortic dissection, intramural hematoma, penetrating atherosclerotic ulcer, or aortic rupture. In an emergency setting, these potentially fatal conditions must be excluded rapidly. CT angiography was therefore performed. The aorta was unremarkable for an acute aortic catastrophe. There was no convincing aortic dissection, penetrating atherosclerotic ulcer, intramural hematoma, rupture, or pericardial effusion. However, the examination contained an une...