Journal of the American Society of Echocardiography : official publication of the American Society of Echocardiography
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J Am Soc Echocardiogr · Jun 2002
Case ReportsAortic 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. ⋯ 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.