REVIEWS  THORACIC AND ABDOMINAL AORTIC ANEURYSMS CHALLENGES 

Italian Journal of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery 2007 September;14(3):209-20

Copyright © 2007 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Diagnosis and management of chronic stable aortic dissection

Akin I., Kische S., Rehders T. C., Ince H., Nienaber C. A.

Department of Medicine University Hospital of Rostock Rostock School of Medicine, Rostock, Germany

Aortic dissection has the highest lethality of all conditions with thoracic pain. As a result of both, the increasing age of Western societies and growing awareness of aortic dissection, interest in both diagnostic and therapeutic management of patients with aortic pathologies is mounting. Although, in general, cardiac surgeons manage the ascending segments of the aorta, medical and interventional care of the descending aortic dissection is frequently the responsibility of cardiologists. Considering the emerge of endovascular interventions for dissection, it is important for cardiologists to gain confidence in managing aortic diseases. Although dissection of the aorta is an acute event, in most cases an underlying chronic and generalized disease of the media wall predisposes the aorta to chronic alterations requiring long-term therapy and follow-up. Here, we review the pathophysiology and clinical management of patients with aortic dissection in context of the recent literature.