STUDY OBJECTIVE The purpose of the present study was to establish the accuracy of transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) in diagnosis of acute type A aortic dissection in comparison to computed tomography (CT), with reference to the intraoperative image. METHODS The retrospective analysis included 178 patients referred to the cardiac surgery unit in our center due to acute type A dissection bet...

A 71-year-old man visited our hospital with the chief complaint of back pain and was diagnosed with acute aortic dissection (Debakey type III, Stanford type B). He was found to have a variant branching pattern in which the right subclavian artery was the fourth branch of the aorta. We performed conservative management for uncomplicated Stanford type B aortic dissection, and the patient was disc...

Malfunction of a prosthetic aortic valve is associated with a spectrum of potentially life threatening complications. In addition, the risk of aortic dissection increases following aortic valve replacement, which relates principally to aortic root pathology rather than prosthetic type or its functional status (Circulation 100 (1999) II-287). We report a case in which a high velocity turbulent j...

Both chronic and acute aortic conditions are challenges for primary care physicians and cardiac specialists. Longitudinal progression of chronic aortic diseases and appropriate timing of open or endovascular surgery are usually derived from serial noninvasive imaging studies. Rapid imaging is necessary as not to delay the diagnosis of a potentially life-threatening diagnosis. Given the frequenc...

OBJECTIVES The extent of visceral malperfusion due to acute type A aortic dissection remains difficult to assess in view of the clinical signs that typically present at a late stage. We suspected that visceral malperfusion can persist after proximal aortic graft replacement despite redirecting blood flow into the true lumen. We therefore evaluated the operative outcomes of visceral malperfusion...

The case of a 27-year-old Japanese woman with type A acute aortic dissection who had been diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is presented. The patient also had aortic regurgitation due to non-infective endocarditis and systemic hypertension, and had been maintained on steroid therapy for 15 years. Her twin sister was also diagnosed with SLE. The patient was admitted to emergency ...

Emergency repair has been successfully performed in acute type A aortic dissection complicated by cerebral malperfusion. Despite the lack of criteria to define irreversible brain damage, immediate surgery is often denied in case of stroke or coma. We report two patients presenting with coma and altered brainstem reflexes shortly after onset of aortic dissection, in whom aortic repair was succes...

OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to assess factors influencing the clinical outcome and morphological changes of acute and chronic type B aortic dissection after thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR). BACKGROUND Aortic remodeling after TEVAR may be associated with clinical outcome, complications, and endoleak development. METHODS Sixty cases of TEVAR for complicated type B acute a...

AIMS In women with Marfan syndrome pregnancy presents an increased risk of dilatation, dissection, and rupture of the aorta. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of pregnancy on growth of the aortic root. METHODS AND RESULTS Between 1993 and 2004 127 women with Marfan syndrome were prospectively followed; 61 women had one or more children; in 23 women, 33 pregnancies could b...