Aortic dissection

Aortic dissection is a tear of the aorta (the largest artery of the body). This tear causes blood to flow between the layers of the wall of the aorta and dissects the layers apart. Aortic dissection is an extremely serious medical emergency and can quickly lead to death.

Signs and symptoms

About 96% of individuals with aortic dissection present with severe pain that had a sudden onset. It may be described as tearing in nature, or stabbing or sharp in character. 17% of individuals will feel the pain migrate as the dissection extends down the aorta. The location of pain is associated with the location of the dissection. Anterior chest pain is associated with dissections involving the ascending aorta, while intrascapular (back) pain is associated with descending aortic dissections. If the pain is pleuritic in nature, it may suggest acute pericarditis due to hemorrhage into the pericardial sac.

Related Topics:
Anterior - Pericarditis - Pericardial sac

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While the pain may be confused with the pain of a myocardial infarction (heart attack), aortic dissection is usually not associated with the other signs that suggest myocardial infarction, including heart failure, and EKG changes. Also, individuals suffering from an aortic dissection usually do not present with diaphoresis (profuse sweating).

Related Topics:
Myocardial infarction - Diaphoresis

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Individuals with aortic dissection who do not present with pain have chronic dissection.

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Less common symptoms that may be seen in the setting of aortic dissection include congestive heart failure (7%), syncope (9%), cerebrovascular accident (3-6%), ischemic peripheral neuropathy, paraplegia, cardiac arrest, and sudden death. If the individual had a syncopal episode, about half the time it is due to hemorrhage into the pericardium leading to pericardial tamponade.

Related Topics:
Congestive heart failure - Syncope - Cerebrovascular accident - Paraplegia - Cardiac arrest - Sudden death - Pericardial tamponade

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Neurologic complications of aortic dissection (i.e., cerebrovascular accident (CVA) and paralysis) are due to involvement of one or more arteries supplying portions of the central nervous system.

Related Topics:
Cerebrovascular accident - Paralysis - Central nervous system

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If the aortic dissection involves the abdominal aorta, compromise of the branches of the abdominal aorta are possible. In abdominal aortic dissections, compromise of one or both renal arteries occurs in 5-8% of cases, while mesenteric ischemia (ischemia of the large intestines) occurs 3-5% of the time.

Related Topics:
Renal arteries - Ischemia - Large intestines

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Blood pressure changes

While many patients with an aortic dissection have a history of hypertension, the blood pressure is quite variable at presentation with acute aortic dissection, and tends to be higher in individuals with a distal dissection. In individuals with a proximal aortic dissection, 36% present with hypertension, while 25% present with hypotension. In those that present with distal aortic dissections, 70% present with hypertension while 4% present with hypotension.

Related Topics:
Hypertension - Hypotension

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Severe hypotension at presentation is a grave prognostic indicator. It is usually associated with pericardial tamponade, severe aortic insufficiency, or rupture of the aorta. Accurate measurement of the blood pressure is important. Pseudohypotension (falsely low blood pressure measurement) may occur due to involvement of the brachiocephalic artery (supplying the right arm) or the left subclavian artery (supplying the left arm).

Related Topics:
Pericardial tamponade - Aortic insufficiency - Brachiocephalic artery - Left subclavian artery

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Aortic insufficiency

Aortic insufficiency (AI) occurs in 1/2 to 2/3 of ascending aortic dissections, and the murmur of aortic insufficiency is audible in about 32% of proximal dissections. The intensity (loudness) of the murmur is dependant on the blood pressure and may be inaudible in the event of hypotension.

Related Topics:
Aortic insufficiency - Murmur - Hypotension

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There are multiple etiologies for AI in the setting of ascending aortic dissection. The dissection may dilate the annulus of the aortic valve, so that the leaflets of the valve cannot coapt. Another mechanism is that the dissection may extend into the aortic root and detach the aortic valve leaflets. The third mechanism is that if there was an extensive intimal tear, the intimal flap may prolapse into the LV outflow tract, causing intimal intussusception into the aortic valve preventing proper valve closure.

Related Topics:
Aortic valve - Intussusception

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Myocardial infarction

Myocardial infarction (heart attack) occurs in 1-2% of aortic dissections. The etiology of the infarction is involvement of the coronary arteries (the arteries that supply the heart) in the dissection. The right coronary artery is involved more commonly than the left coronary artery. If the myocardial infarction is treated with thrombolytic therapy, the mortality increases to over 70%, mostly due to hemorrhage into the pericardial sac causing pericardial tamponade.

Related Topics:
Myocardial infarction - Coronary arteries - Arteries - Thrombolytic - Pericardial tamponade

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Because aortic dissection may present to the emergency room physician similar to a myocardial infarction, the physician must be careful to make the proper diagnosis prior to initiating treatment for myocardial infarction, since the treatment regimen for myocardial infarction can be lethal to an individual presenting with aortic dissection.

Related Topics:
Emergency room - Physician

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Pleural effusion

A pleural effusion (fluid collection in the space between the lungs and the chest wall or diaphragm) can be due to either blood from a transient rupture of the aorta or fluid due to an inflammatory reaction around the aorta. If a pleural effusion were to develop due to aortic dissection, it is more commonly in the left hemithorax rather than the right hemithorax.

Related Topics:
Lung - Diaphragm

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