Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “Aortic Dissection”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 865 records · Page 48Linked to original sources

Midterm results of aortic diameter outcomes after thoracic stent-graft implantation for aortic dissection: a multicenter study.

PURPOSE: To evaluate aortic diameter outcomes after stent-graft implantation for aortic dissection in the descending thoracic aorta. METHODS: Fifty patients with type A dissection after ascending aortic surgery (n = 10), type B dissection (n = 34), or intramural hematoma (n = 6) underwent stent-graft repair in 3 centers. Thrombosis and aortic diameter were analyzed by computed tomographic angiography at different levels of the aorta before stent-graft implantation, at discharge, and at follow-up. Measurements were standardized. RESULTS: In all, 67 stent-grafts were implanted for acute (n = 18) and chronic (n = 32) dissection. Stent-graft placement was successfully performed with high technical success (100%) despite 4 major complications (iliac thrombosis in 2 cases, aortic rupture, and a type A dissection) in 3 (6%) patients. Complete thrombosis of the thoracic false lumen was observed in 42% and 63% of cases at discharge and at follow-up (mean 15 months), respectively. At follow-up, the diameters of the entire aorta (mean 5 mm, p < 0.05) and the false lumen (mean 11 mm, p < 0.0001) decreased. Diameters of the abdominal aorta remained stable in association with persistent false lumen perfusion at this level. Aortic diameter results were better in the subgroup of patients with intramural hematoma compared to patients with Marfan syndrome. Three early deaths unrelated to the stent-graft procedure occurred; 2 patients with partial thrombosis of the false lumen died in follow-up secondary to aortic diameter growth. CONCLUSION: Complete thrombosis of the false lumen by stent-graft coverage of the entry tear results in decreased diameter of the entire aorta. In patients with partial thrombosis of the false lumen, the aneurysm continues to enlarge.

Adult↗

Aortic dissection as complication of supravalvular aortic stenosis.

A 2-year-old patient with diffuse supravalvular aortic stenosis and the Williams-Beuren syndrome at autopsy was found to have dissection of the ascending aorta in addition to severe coronary artery disease and microfocal myocardial fibrosis. These findings emphasize the need for early surgical intervention in supravalvular aortic stenosis.

Aortic Dissection↗

Chest CT scanning for clinical suspected thoracic aortic dissection: beware the alternate diagnosis.

The aim of the study was retrospectively to evaluate the spectrum of chest diseases in patients presenting with clinical suspicion of thoracic aortic dissection in the emergency department. We performed a retrospective medical records review of 86 men and 44 women (ages ranging between 23 and 106 years) with clinically suspected aortic dissection, for CT scan findings and final clinical diagnoses dating between January 1996 and September 2001. All images were obtained by using a standard protocol for aortic dissection. We found aortic dissection in 32 patients (24.6%), 22 of which were Stanford classification type A and 10 Stanford type B. In 70 patients (53.9%), chest pain could not be explained by the CT scan findings. However, in 28 patients (21.5%), CT scanning did reveal an alternate diagnosis that, along with the clinical impression, probably explained the patients' presenting symptoms, including: hiatal hernia (7), pneumonia (5), intrathoracic mass (4), pericardial effusion/hemopericardium (3), esophageal mass/rupture (2), aortic aneurysm without dissection (2), pulmonary embolism (2), pleural effusion (1), aortic rupture (1), and pancreatitis (1). In cases where there is clinical suspicion of aortic dissection, CT scan findings of an alternate diagnosis for the presenting symptoms are only slightly less common than the finding of aortic dissection itself. Although the spectrum of findings will vary depending upon your patient population, beware the alternate diagnosis.

Journal Article↗

[CT analysis of aortic cobwebs in aortic dissection].

Contrast-enhanced CT images in patients with acute or chronic aortic dissection were evaluated for the purpose of determining the clinical usefulness of "aortic cobwebs", which were originally reported by Williams et al. as an anatomical marker of the false lumen. Aortic cobwebs were detected in 13 of 44 cases (30%), demonstrating as low density structures in the false lumen continuing from the intimal flap. The aortic cobwebs were mainly linear in shape, and the size ranged from 5 x 1 to 15 x 3 mm (mean: 9 x 2 mm). Aortic cobwebs were more frequently demonstrated in chronic than in acute cases, and were more often detected in the abdominal aorta. Follow-up CT examinations of the cobwebs revealed no interval change in six cases, disappearance in three cases and thickening in one case. There was no significant correlation between the sequential changes in the cobwebs and dilatation or thrombus formation in the false lumen. Aortic cobwebs seem to represent partially residual bands of the aortic media incompletely sheared from the aortic wall during the initial processes of aortic dissection. These structures are considered to be a reliable anatomic marker and to be useful for CT identification of the false lumen in aortic dissection.

Adult↗

[A successful surgical case of DeBakey IIIb dissecting aortic aneurysm in association with right aortic arch].

A case of chronic DeBakey IIIb dissecting aneurysm in association with right aortic arch is reported. A 49-year-old man having encountered an aortic dissecting episode two years ago, was examined more closely because the aneurysm became larger recently. Digital subtraction angiography (intra-venous and intra-aortic) showed DeBakey IIIb dissecting aneurysm associated with a right aortic arch with aberrant subclavian artery. The entry of the aneurysm was in the right descending aorta passing from left thorax to right. The operative indication was for enlarged false lumen in this case. Graft replacement of the aneurysm and closure of the false lumen in the right thorax was performed under partial cardiopulmonary bypass through right thoracotomy. Postoperative digital subtraction angiography showed that dissection was in the abdominal aorta but false lumen in the thorax was completely closed. The patient has made a comeback working. A case of dissecting aortic aneurysm associated with right aortic arch is extremely rare. To our knowledge, this is the third such case reported in Japan, but the first case of a successful graft replacement for dissecting aortic aneurysm associated with right aortic arch.

Aortic Dissection↗

Clinical presentation, diagnosis, and hospital outcome of patients with documented aortic dissection: the Albany Medical Center experience, 1986 to 1996.

BACKGROUND: In recent years, the diagnostic approach to patients with suspected aortic dissection has changed dramatically. Noninvasive studies such as transesophageal echocardiography (TEE), computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging have supplanted angiography as the initial tests of choice. The effect of this change in diagnostic approach has not previously been evaluated. METHODS AND RESULTS: The records of all patients discharged from Albany Medical Center Hospital between January 1, 1986, and December 31, 1996, were screened for an "aortic dissection" entry in the medical record database. For those records in which aortic dissection was confirmed, data concerning the diagnostic evaluation, treatment, and hospital course were recorded and analyzed. During the study period, there were 160 cases of documented aortic dissection discharged from the hospital. There were 100 type A and 60 type B dissections. The most commonly used diagnostic tests were TEE (83 of 160) and angiography (60 of 160). In patients who had TEE, diagnosis was made more quickly but overall mortality rate was not different from patients who had angiography. Renal dysfunction and neurologic events were less frequent in the TEE group. Hospital stay was significantly shorter in the TEE group (24.8 +/- 3.9 vs 14.0 +/- 1.8 days, P =.01). CONCLUSIONS: The use of TEE reduces morbidity rate and hospital stay in patients with aortic dissection but does not affect mortality rate.

Aged↗

Aortic dissection decades following internal carotid artery dissection--report of two cases.

Recurrent dissections involving carotid, vertebral, or renal arteries have been described in patients with spontaneous cervical artery dissections, with a maximal interval between dissections of fourteen years. The authors describe 2 patients in whom aortic dissections developed twenty-five and forty years, respectively, following carotid artery dissections. These 2 patients constituted 8% of the total number of patients from Rochester, Minnesota, who were diagnosed with aortic dissection between 1987 and 1992. The first patient, a forty-five-year-old woman, presented in 1948 with right neck pain and headache, associated with several episodes of transient numbness of the right face and numbness and clumsiness of the left upper and lower extremities. Examination showed right miosis. Angiography showed a stenosis of the extracranial right internal carotid artery beginning several centimeters from the bifurcation. She died at age eighty-five from an aortic dissection. The second patient, a thirty-eight-year-old man, noted left orbital and frontotemporal headaches and drooping of the left eyelid in 1962. Examination showed left oculosympathetic palsy. Angiography showed stenosis and an aneurysm in the midportion of the extracranial left internal carotid artery. He died at age sixty-three from an aortic dissection. These cases suggest that following a carotid artery dissection the risk of a recurrent arterial dissection may remain elevated for a prolonged period of time and the recurrent dissection may involve the aorta.

Adult↗

Diagnosis of ascending aortic dissection by transesophageal echocardiography: utility of M-mode in recognizing artifacts.

OBJECTIVES: This study sought to assess the reliability of biplanar transesophageal echocardiography in the diagnosis of ascending aortic dissection and to test the utility of M-mode information in the differential diagnosis of ascending aortic ultrasound artifacts and intimal flap images. BACKGROUND: Transesophageal echocardiography is a useful technique in the diagnosis of aortic dissection. However, ultrasound artifacts in the ascending aorta are an important limitation. METHODS: Transesophageal echocardiography was performed in 132 consecutive patients with clinically suspected aortic dissection. Two-dimensional and M-mode echocardiography and color Doppler were used to diagnose intimal flap and artifact images. Diagnoses were validated either anatomically or with reference techniques. RESULTS: The sensitivity and specificity of transesophageal echocardiography in the diagnosis of ascending aortic dissection were 96.8% and 100%, respectively. Ninety-three artifacts were observed in 56 (55%) of 101 patients without ascending aortic dissection. Two-dimensional echocardiography easily identified 74 artifacts (80%). Color Doppler showed no ascending flow abnormalities in 71% of artifact images. M-mode echocardiography showed three location and mobility artifact patterns related to the posterior wall of the aorta or the right pulmonary artery. In contrast, intimal flap movement showed no relation to the aortic wall movement in 25 cases (83%). Blind analysis of transesophageal echocardiographic study tapes underlined the utility of M-mode in the differential diagnosis. Ranges of sensitivity, specificity and positive predictive value (established by including doubtful results as either positive or negative) improved from 87.1-93.5% to 93.5-96.8%, from 85.1-94.1% to 99-100% and from 65.9-81.8% to 96.8-100%, respectively, with the inclusion of M-mode data. CONCLUSIONS: Biplanar transesophageal echocardiography permits reliable diagnosis of ascending aortic dissection. Ultrasound artifacts are common, but assessment of the location and mobility of intraluminal images by M-mode echocardiography definitely improves diagnostic accuracy.

Adolescent↗

Aortic dissection and Turner's syndrome: case report and review of the literature.

Cardiovascular abnormalities are frequently encountered in patients with Turner's syndrome. These include coarctation of the aorta, aortic root dilatation, bicuspid aortic valve, atrial and ventricular septal defects. Aortic dissection is a rare but devastating complication of Turner's syndrome that usually occurs in adulthood. We report a case of Turner's syndrome with coarctation of the aorta and chronic aortic dissection, and review the relevant literature. There have been 21 prior reported cases of aortic dissection in patients with Turner's syndrome. Possible etiologic factors contributing to the occurrence of aortic dissection in this syndrome are protean. They include the presence of cystic medial necrosis, coarctation of the aorta, bicuspid aortic valve, aortic root dilatation, and hypertension, although cases of aortic dissection and Turner's syndrome have been described in patients without any risk factors. As our knowledge of the natural history of congenital heart defects and risk factors for aortic dissection in Turner's syndrome is limited, periodic cardiac evaluation of these patients may be warranted. Early recognition and treatment of this potentially lethal complication of Turner's syndrome is essential.

Adult↗

[Late phase contrast enhanced-CT analysis of thrombosed type aortic dissection].

Seven patients with thrombosed type aortic dissection who underwent both early- and late-phase contrast enhanced (CE)-CT scans were analyzed. The image acquisition of early-phase CE-CT began 30 seconds after the intravenous administration of contrast material at an injection rate of 1.5 ml per second. Late-phase CE-CT began 6 minutes after contrast material injection. The thrombosed false lumens were not enhanced on early-phase CE-CTs in any of the cases. In five of seven cases, on the other hand, false lumens of the descending aorta were enhanced on late-phase images. Late enhancement in the false lumen was roughly divided into two patterns; (1) a crescentic enhancement of the sub-adventitial region (3 cases), and (2) a vague enhancement around the ulcerlike projection (2 cases). The mechanism of late enhancement in the false lumen was not fully elucidated. Although the clinical significance of late enhancement has not yet been established, it will be useful to demonstrate an unstable status of the thrombosed false lumens before organization.

Aged↗

Aortic dissection presenting as acute lower extremity ischemia: report of a case.

Although not common, acute leg ischemia is an important element in the clinical presentation of a patient with aortic dissection. This report describes a case of aortic dissection in which the main feature at presentation was acute right leg ischemia. The angiography showed right common iliac artery and external iliac artery occlusion. Diagnosis was made by clinical evaluation and angiography. Embolectomy was then attempted immediately but failed. Aortic dissection was highly suspected and confirmed by emergency computed tomography. Fortunately, the patient had good recovery. Aortic dissection is potentially lethal if misdiagnosed or if recognition is delayed. As such, aortic dissection should be considered in the differential diagnosis.

Adult↗

Spontaneous aortic dissection in the presence of coexistent or previously repaired atherosclerotic aortic aneurysm.

Acute aortic dissection occurred in 18 patients who had previously diagnosed atherosclerotic aneurysms of the thoracic and/or abdominal aorta. These patients were reviewed to assess the clinical course when these two forms of aortic pathology coexist. Patients were grouped according to status of their atherosclerotic aneurysm (previously repaired vs. untreated) and the segments of the aorta effected by the acute spontaneous dissection. Group 1 patients (n = 5) had previously undergone-abdominal aortic aneurysmectomy (AAA) repair, and the abdominal aortic suture line effectively terminated the dissection process. In Group 2 patients (n = 5), the acute dissection and the atherosclerotic aneurysm involved different segments of the aorta. Group 3 patients (n = 8) experienced spontaneous aortic dissection involving atherosclerotic aneurysms (five infrarenal, three thoracoabdominal), with threatened or actual rupture occurring in six patients, resulting in three deaths. In Group 3 patients, rupture occurred both at the atherosclerotic aneurysm (four patients) and at the site of the aortic intimal tear of the dissection (two patients) after AAA repair. The use of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) has proven to be highly accurate in delineating the nature and extent of pathology in recently encountered patients with complicated aortic disease. Coexistence of atherosclerotic aneurysm and acute dissection appears to increase the risk of aortic rupture, in both proximal and distal aortic segments.

Acute Disease↗

Surgical and medical treatments of true and dissecting aortic aneurysm in cases over 65 years old.

Ninety-one patients with true and dissecting aortic aneurysm were reviewed. They ranged in age from 65 to 87 years (mean 71 years). Forty-eight patients were diagnosed with abdominal aortic aneurysm, 21 patients with thoracic aortic aneurysm and 22 patients with dissecting aortic aneurysm. They were divided into 2 categories, surgical group and non-surgical, and the prognoses of the 2 groups were compared. The average age of surgically treated cases was significantly younger than that of non-surgical cases. This study suggests that elective operation should be considered for abdominal aortic aneurysms because of the high risk of late rupture. In older patients with thoracic aortic aneurysm, the prognosis was better in surgically treated patients than in those not treated. However, the surgical mortality rate of elective operation was high. The surgical mortality rate of older patients with dissecting aortic aneurysm was not satisfactory, and medical treatment which decreases blood pressure should be considered first. All patients classified as Stanford type A should be operated on if possible.

Age Factors↗

Aortic valve commissural tear mimicking type A aortic dissection.

A 52-year-old man came to the local emergency department with symptoms of heart failure and transient chest pain. Transthoracic echocardiography showed severe aortic regurgitation and a dilated ascending aorta. Aortic dissection was suspected, and he was transferred to our institution. Transesophageal echocardiography appeared to confirm the presence of a type A dissection. A mobile, linear structure was present in the proximal ascending aorta, suggesting the presence of dissection flap. Aortic cusp prolapse and severe aortic regurgitation were seen. At surgery, no aortic dissection was present. Rather, the commissure between right and left aortic valve cusps was separated from the wall of the aorta. Motion of the torn commissure with the cardiac cycle apparently led to the transesophageal echocardiographic appearance described. The ascending aorta was dilated. Histopathologic examination of the aorta confirmed the visual appearance of cystic medial necrosis. Aortic valve commissural tear is a rare event, which may lead to severe aortic regurgitation. This entity may lead to the false-positive transesophageal echocardiographic diagnosis of type A dissection.

Aortic Dissection↗

Impact of organ malperfusion on mortality and morbidity in acute type A aortic dissections.

BACKGROUND: Organ malperfusion is a serious complication of acute type A aortic dissection. Management and outcome of malperfusion has been discussed in this study. METHODS: Between November 1994 and May 2003, 118 patients with acute type A aortic dissections were operated. Fifty-seven patients (48.3%) were complicated with organ malperfusion, which is considered as group I. Seventy-three ischemic events were seen in 57 patients with organ malperfusion. Patients in group I were divided into four subgroups according to affected organ system including limb (38 events), coronary (9 events), renal (2 events), visceral (9 events), and cerebral (15 events) ischemia. Sixty-one patients without organ malperfusion constitute group II. RESULTS: The hospital mortality rate was 42.1% (24 of 57) in patients with malperfusion, 14.75% (9 of 61) in group II (p = 0.001), and 27.9% (33 of 118) in all patients. Postoperative complications such as mediastinal hemorrhage, low cardiac output, gastrointestinal system complications, acute renal failure, and multiple organ failure were higher in group I. Mesenteric and limb ischemia associated with high mortality. Multivariate analysis reveals that visceral malperfusion is the strongest predictor of postoperative mortality (odds ratio: 25.09, p = 0.000). Isolated coronary malperfusion had the lowest mortality (one patient, 16.6%) among the patients with organ malperfusion. CONCLUSIONS: Acute type A aortic dissections with organ malperfusion has higher postoperative mortality and morbidity. Immediate aortic repair is our management strategy in patients with limb, coronary, and neurological malperfusion. To reduce the extremely high mortality with mesenteric malperfusion, new strategies should be investigated such as surgical delay with interventional procedures.

Acute Disease↗

Value of echocardiography in patient follow-up after surgically corrected type A aortic dissection.

BACKGROUND: To identify patients (pts) at risk of late complications, follow-up after surgery for type A aortic dissection is essential. We assessed the value of echocardiography to monitor patients after surgery for type A aortic dissection. METHODS: 80 out of 108 pts operated between 1989 and 1999 for type A aortic dissection survived surgery. 62 pts with at least one TEE, CT or MRI examinations during follow-up were included in this study. All pts had transthoracic echocardiography (TTE), 53 transesophageal echocardiography (TEE), 51 had CT, and 39 had MRI. RESULTS: At the first follow-up, 12 of 48 pts with aortic valve sparing surgery presented with aortic insufficiency >I degrees detected using echocardiography. 16 pts evolved a distal aortic aneurysm of over 5 cm, all seen in TEE, CT and MRI. A distal intimal flap was present in 39 pts and could be seen in TEE, CT and MRI in all patients. A new proximal aortic root dissection took place in 5 pts. Progressive aortic pathology led to reoperation in 9 pts. TEE was especially useful in 2 pts to confirm redissection, in 1 pt to rule out redissection assumed by CT, and in 1 with paraprosthetic blood flow after ascending aortic replacement. MRI led to additional information in 1 patient with false aneurysm of the distal anastomosis and 1 with redissection not seen in TEE 6 month before. CT and MRI were superior to TEE in demonstrating aortic arch pathology, whereas TEE was more effective in showing the flow pattern and residual entry sites. CONCLUSIONS: Echocardiography is an effective and cost-saving diagnostic tool to monitor pts after surgery for type A aortic dissection, and should be the method of choice to ascertain aortic pathology initially after surgery. Follow-up intervals and need for additional CT or MRI should be determined afterwards according to specific pathologies.

Adult↗

[Spiral CT in aortic dissection].

Patients with suspected dissection of the thoracic aorta require immediate diagnostic evaluation so that urgent therapeutic interventions can begin. Two women with suspected aortic dissection and one man with abdominal aortic aneurysm underwent color-flow Doppler echocardiography and CT angiography with multiplanar reconstructions. Spiral CT showed ascending aortic dissection (type A Stanford) in two cases and descending aortic dissection (type B Stanford) in one case. It also access the visualization of the intimal flap, the extent of dissection, the size of the aorta, and the presence of pericardial fluid. CT angiography is an accurate diagnostic procedure for patients with suspected aortic dissection and possesses several advantages over other modalities such as transthoracic echocardiography, transesophageal echocardiography and aortography.

Adult↗

Transesophageal echocardiography-guided algorithm for stent-graft implantation in aortic dissection.

OBJECTIVE: Endovascular stent-graft placement is replacing traditional surgery in type B aortic dissection. Usually stent-graft implantation is performed under fluoroscopic and angiographic guidance, but this relatively new procedure is still burdened with some complications. We investigated the value of a developed algorithm based on transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) for guiding stent-graft implantation in type B aortic dissection. METHODS: Forty-two patients with type B aortic dissection (chronic in 28 patients with aneurysmal dilatation of the false lumen, and acute complicated in 14 patients) underwent endovascular stent-graft reconstruction of the descending thoracic aorta. TEE was always performed after angiography. TEE-induced variations of the procedure, based on the algorithm, were compared with initial angiography-based decisions. RESULTS: TEE was decisive for guidewire repositioning (not possible with fluoroscopy) from the false to the true lumen in 3 patients and for correct guidewire entrance in an elephant trunk prosthesis in another patient. After stent-graft implantation color Doppler TEE enabled detection of proximal peri-stent leaks in 13 patients, whereas only 6 (46%) of the 13 leaks were detectable at angiography (P = .008). Most leaks were subsequently eliminated with balloon dilation or further stent grafting. Pulsed Doppler TEE was also useful for differentiating true leaks (13 patients) from Dacron porosity (7 patients). A pulsed-Doppler velocity cutoff value of 50 cm/s enabled differentiation of Dacron porosity (characterized by slow blood flow) from true peri-stent leak (fast flow). After stent-graft implantation TEE demonstrated new intimal tears in the thoracic aorta in 7 patients, whereas only 2 of the 7 new tears were detectable at angiography (P = .024); in 6 of 7 patients the new distal tears were subsequently resolved with placement of additional stents, whereas in a patient with Marfan syndrome new proximal tears determined a type I endoleak, which could not be resolved. Overall, TEE furnished decisive information additional to angiography in determining successful procedural changes in 16 of 42 patients (38%). There were no in-hospital deaths, and pre-discharge spiral computed tomograms showed a good outcome of stent-graft implantation in 37 of 42 patients (88%), with 5 residual type I endoleaks, all previously detected with TEE but impossible to eliminate with either balloon molding or further stent implantation. All but 2 patients (95%) are currently alive at mean follow-up of 30 +/- 18 months. CONCLUSIONS: TEE algorithm is an easy and useful tool in the operating room to guide correct stent-graft positioning in type B aortic dissection.

Adult↗