309 cute aortic syndromes refer to the spectrum of aortic emergencies that include aortic dissection, intramural hematoma, penetrating atherosclerotic ulcer of the aorta, aortic aneurysm leak and rupture, and traumatic aortic transection. The aortic wall is composed of three layers (Fig. 1): the inner layer of intima, the middle layer of media, and the outer layer of adventitia. Multiple mechan...

Isolated acute abdominal aortic dissection is a relatively rare event. Its natural history is not fully understood and its optimal treatment is not established. Open surgery represents the most described treatment but endovascular intervention has had increasing application. Isolated chronic abdominal aortic dissection is even less described in the literature. We describe three patients with is...

Acute type A aortic dissection is a potentially lethal condition which requires immediate diagnostic and therapeutic intervention. Open surgical repair remains the standard of care as survival rates continue to improve in the modern surgical era. Unfortunately, up to twenty percent of patients are denied surgical therapy because they are deemed medically unfit to undergo open repair. The applic...

Endovascular stent-graft repair is emerging as the treatment of choice for complicated type B aortic dissection. In this report we describe a patient who presented with type B aortic dissection involving a right-sided aortic arch (RAA), a rare congenital vascular anomaly. The initial aggressive medical treatment proved unsuccessful due to false aneurysm expansion. Given the greater complexity o...

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...

graphy in diagnosis of aortic dissection. Lancet 1989;1:457–461. 10. Harris RD, Usselman JA, Vint VC, Warmath MA. Computerized tomographic diagnosis of aneurysms of the thoracic aorta. J Comput Assist Tomogr 1979;3:81–91. 11. Bartel T, Eggebrecht H, Muller S, Gutersohn A, Bonatti J, Pachinger O, Erbel R. Comparison of diagnostic and therapeutic value of transesophageal echocardiography, intrava...

Although a right-sided aortic arch is not a rare anomaly, an aortic dissection involving an isolated right-sided aortic arch is extremely rare and remains a complicated entity for surgical therapy because of its anatomical characteristics. Previous reports that we have identified in English literature include only six surgical cases of aortic dissection involving a right-sided aortic arch. We r...

Acute aortic dissection is a life-threatening condition associated with high morbidity and mortality. In this article, the authors review basic biology of the aorta and aortic dissection, epidemiology, clinical presentation, diagnostic approach, emergency stabilization measures, and the latest surgical approach for type B dissection.

Background Turner syndrome is associated with bicuspid aortic valve (BAV), coarctation of the aorta, aortic dilation, and aortic dissection. Vertebral artery tortuosity, as demonstrated by magnetic resonance angiography (MRA), is increased in other disorders associated with thoracic aortic dilation and dissection, including Marfan syndrome and Loeys-Dietz syndrome, and increased tortuosity is a...

OBJECTIVE Increased dimension of the aortic root and proximal aorta is considered a significant risk factor for catastrophic events that involve the ascending aorta. The objective of this study was to determine the possible correlation between pre-dissection aortic diameter and the occurrence of Stanford type A aortic dissection. METHODS Samples of dissected ascending aortas were obtained fro...