Aortic dissection is a medical emergency carrying high morbidity and mortality. Prompt diagnosis is sometimes difficult because of its varying presentations, but it is critical to the achievement of good clinical outcomes. ⋯ In both, the dissection was limited to the ascending aorta just distal to the aortic valve. These dissections were diagnosed by transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography.
S I Rahmatullah, I A Khan, V M Nair, N D Caccavo, B C Vasavada, and T J Sacchi.
Department of Medicine, Long Island College Hospital, Brooklyn, NY, USA.
Am J Emerg Med. 1999 Nov 1; 17 (7): 700701700-1.
AbstractAortic dissection is a medical emergency carrying high morbidity and mortality. Prompt diagnosis is sometimes difficult because of its varying presentations, but it is critical to the achievement of good clinical outcomes. This report describes 2 cases of painless aortic dissection that presented with aortic valve regurgitation. In both, the dissection was limited to the ascending aorta just distal to the aortic valve. These dissections were diagnosed by transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography.