Type A aortic dissection: Why there is still a role for echocardiography when every second counts. (December 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Luke, Peter; Booth, Karen; Kindawi, Ali; Eggett, Christopher
• Is Part Of: SAGE open medical case reports. Volume 8(2020)
• Publication Date: 2020-12
• Subjects: Critical care/emergency medicine -- echocardiography -- aortic dissection -- aortic regurgitation -- point-of-care ultrasound; Clinical medicine -- Case studies -- Periodicals; 616.09
• DOI: 10.1177/2050313X20973086
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2050-313X

Abstract

Aortic dissection is often regarded as a catastrophic aortic syndrome with high rates of mortality. The sensitivity and specificity of transthoracic echocardiography when diagnosing acute type A aortic dissection has been reported as high as 97% and 100%, respectively, in patients with optimal imaging quality when compared to computed tomography. In this article, we discuss the benefit of transthoracic echocardiography in a patient with type A aortic dissection extending from ascending aorta to iliac arteries.