Acute aortic dissection is a clinical emergency. Its prognosis is related mainly with prompt and accurate diagnosis, as well as rapid treatment. In this paper we review the importance of different imaging techniques in the diagnosis of patients with acute aortic syndrome. Aortic dissection, intramural haematoma, and penetrating aortic ulcer are discussed.

Acute Type A aortic dissection is a surgical emergency. Urgent repair is indicated to avoid complications such as acute aortic insufficiency, coronary ischemia and aortic rupture with cardiac tamponade. This report details the management of a patient with acute Type A aortic dissection complicated by an extensive anterolateral myocardial infarction and cardiogenic shock who was successfully bri...

The development of antiangiogenic agents targeting the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) pathway (sunitinib, sorafenib, bevacizumab and temsirolimus) has revolutionized the treatment of metastatic renal clear-cell carcinoma. Adverse events attributed to these agents targeting the vascularization include cardiovascular effects. We report here a case of aortic dissection in a patient trea...

The cause of acute aortic dissection continues to be debated. One school of thought suggests that underlying aortic medial cystic necrosis is the common denominator. The purpose of the present study was to determine if there was loss and, if so, how much loss of medial elastic fibers in the ascending aorta in patients with acute aortic dissection with the entrance tear in the ascending aorta. W...

The classical therapeutic indication for type B aortic dissection is based on either medication or open surgery; medication therapy is recommended for relatively stable uncomplicated type B aortic dissection. With improvements in endovascular repair and the potential risk of disease progression, it is now necessary to evaluate the requirement for revision of the therapeutic choice of uncomplica...

INTRODUCTION Though computed tomographic angiography has very high sensitivity and specificity to diagnose acute aortic dissection, false-negative studies can occur and secondary tests may be required to make the diagnosis. CASE PRESENTATION We report the case of a 57-year-old Caucasian man with a typical presentation for acute type A aortic dissection in whom the initial non-cardiac gated co...

OBJECTIVES Extensive clinicopathological analyses of aortic dissection have implicated hypertension and genetic abnormalities as the major pathogenic mechanisms. However, previous findings from pathological examinations have often been inconsistent with these mechanisms. In this paper, we suggest a significant role for the vasa vasorum in the aetiology and pathogenesis of aortic dissection. M...

Background. Aortic dissection requires prompt and reliable diagnosis to reduce the high mortality. The purpose of this study was to assess the reliability of both ECG-triggered magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and transesophageal two-dimensional echocardiography combined with color-coded Doppler flow imaging (TEE) for the diagnosis of thoracic aortic dissection and associated epiphenomena. Meth...

Bergonzini M, Camurri N, Reggiani LB, Marinelli G, Di Bartolomeo R. Early and late outcomes of acute type A aortic dissection: analysis of risk factors in 487 consecutive patients. Eur Heart J 2005;26:180–186. w9x Fusco DS, Shaw RK, Tranquilli M, Kopf GS, Elefteriades JA. Femoral cannulation is safe for type A dissection repair. Ann Thorac Surg 2004; 78:1285–1289. w10x Conzelmann LO, Kayhan N, ...

Aortic dissection is a medical or surgical emergency, or both, that is catastrophic if not diagnosed and treated promptly. It is the most common aortic pathological lesion in the United States warranting emergent diagnosis and treatment. In untreated or unrecognized patients with aortic dissection, the prognosis is decidedly dismal, with the early mortality (first 48 hours) being as high as 1%/...