AORTIC DISSECTION

AORTIC DISSECTION is a topic covered in the Harrison's Manual of Medicine.

To view the entire topic, please or .

Harrison’s Manual of Medicine 20th edition provides 600+ internal medicine topics in a rapid-access format. Download Harrison’s App to iPhone, iPad, and Android smartphone and tablet. Explore these free sample topics:

-- The first section of this topic is shown below --

Potentially life-threatening condition in which disruption or aortic intima allows dissection of blood into vessel wall; may involve ascending aorta (type II), descending aorta (type III), or both (type I) (Fig. 127-1). More commonly used classification: Type A—dissection involves ascending aorta; type B—limited to transverse and/or descending aorta. Involvement of the ascending aorta is most lethal form. Variant acute aortic syndromes include intramural hematoma without an intimal flap, and penetrating atherosclerotic ulcer.

FIGURE 127-1
hmom20_ch127_f001.png
Classification of aortic dissections. Stanford classification: Top panels illustrate type A dissections that involve the ascending aorta independent of site of tear and distal extension; type B dissections (bottom panels) involve transverse and/or descending aorta without involvement of the ascending aorta. DeBakey classification: Type I dissection involves ascending to descending aorta (top left); type II dissection is limited to ascending or transverse aorta, without descending aorta (top center + top right); type III dissection involves descending aorta only (bottom left). (From DC Miller, in RM Doroghazi, EE Slater [eds]. Aortic Dissection. New York, McGraw-Hill, 1983, with permission.)

-- To view the remaining sections of this topic, please or --

Potentially life-threatening condition in which disruption or aortic intima allows dissection of blood into vessel wall; may involve ascending aorta (type II), descending aorta (type III), or both (type I) (Fig. 127-1). More commonly used classification: Type A—dissection involves ascending aorta; type B—limited to transverse and/or descending aorta. Involvement of the ascending aorta is most lethal form. Variant acute aortic syndromes include intramural hematoma without an intimal flap, and penetrating atherosclerotic ulcer.

FIGURE 127-1
hmom20_ch127_f001.png
Classification of aortic dissections. Stanford classification: Top panels illustrate type A dissections that involve the ascending aorta independent of site of tear and distal extension; type B dissections (bottom panels) involve transverse and/or descending aorta without involvement of the ascending aorta. DeBakey classification: Type I dissection involves ascending to descending aorta (top left); type II dissection is limited to ascending or transverse aorta, without descending aorta (top center + top right); type III dissection involves descending aorta only (bottom left). (From DC Miller, in RM Doroghazi, EE Slater [eds]. Aortic Dissection. New York, McGraw-Hill, 1983, with permission.)

There's more to see -- the rest of this topic is available only to subscribers.