Acute type A aortic dissection: an update on a still challenging disease

Type A aortic dissection presenting as superior vena cava syndrome

A 51-year-old man presented with a 5-day history of progressive facial swelling, sensation of head fullness, increasing shortness of breath and paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea. He denied chest pain, syncope or presyncope. Pastmedical history included mechanical aortic valve replacement 7 years prior and atrial fibrillation treated with warfarin. A clinical diagnosis of acute superior vena cava (SVC) syndrome was made. Portable chest radiograph showed a widened superior mediastinum. Computed tomography scan of the thorax demonstrated a large type A aortic dissection almost completely effacing the SVC. Acute type A aortic dissection (AD) is an emergency requiring prompt diagnosis and treatment. Patients typically present with acute onset of chest and/or back pain, classically described as “ripping” or “tearing.” SVC syndrome is rarely, if ever, mentioned as a presentation, as it is usually due to more chronic conditions. This case illustrates a rare incidence of type A AD actually presenting as SVC syndrome.

Postsurgical aortic false aneurysm: pathogenesis, clinical presentation and surgical strategy

Postsurgical aortic false aneurysm occurs in less than 0.5% of all cardiac surgical cases and its management is a challenge in terms of preoperative evaluation and surgical approach. Although infections are well recognized as risk factors, technical aspects of a previous operation may have a role in pseudoaneurysm formation. The risk factors and clinical presentation of pseudoaneurysms and the surgical strategy are revisited in this article.

An uncommon presentation of acute type A aortic dissection: left main coronary artery obstruction

Acute aortic dissection presents with a wide range of manifestations. Sometimes an acute coronary syndrome is diagnosed instead of aortic dissection leading to inappropriate treatment. We describe a case of acute aortic dissection with the uncommon involvement of the left main coronary artery. A 64-year-old man was referred to our hospital for primary coronary intervention because ECG demonstrated ST elevation in the aVR lead with diffuse ST-segment depression. Coronary angiography was performed to treat the culprit lesion but the left main coronary artery could not be catheterized. Aortography and transesophageal echocardiography confirmed Stanford type A aortic dissection. The patient died of cardiac arrest in spite of cardiopulmonary resuscitation. This case also illustrates how Stanford type A aortic dissection can present with left main coronary artery obstruction.

Biomarkers in aortic dissection

Aortic dissection (AD) is a severe cardiovascular disease with high mortality and morbidity, which is characterized by acute onset and rapid progress. Mechanically, it has been considered that circulating blood flows into the media of the aorta through the rupture of the intima forming true and false lumens. Generally, its pathologic process is considered as follows: initially, inflammatory reaction, inflammatory cells infiltration in aortic wall, and then apoptosis of vascular smooth muscle cells, degenerating of aortic media, elastin fracture, and degradation. At last, the ingredients of the aorta are destroyed and lead to aortic dilatation, aneurysm formation, dissection and rupture. Currently, several biomarkers in peripheral blood including C-reactive protein (CRP), matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), soluble elastin fragments (sELAF), D-dimer, smooth muscle myosin heavy chain, calponin, N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), big endothelin-1 (Big ET-1), genetic markers and so on, have been demonstrated to play a major role in evaluation of AD, for example, making early diagnosis and classifying of AD. Additionally, those markers may also guide our treatment therapies and predict the prognosis. The aims of this review mainly focus on the clinical implications of the biomarkers in AD.

Para-aortic arch abscess secondary to Staphylococcus aureus pneumonia

Staphylococcus aureus is a relatively common pathogen causing pneumonia in the community, hospital ward and intensive care unit. Although pneumonia is responsible for significant morbidity and mortality, especially in elderly and immunocompromised patients, it is usually uncomplicated and resolves without complications. The case of a woman who developed a para-aortic abscess after a community-acquired S aureus pneumonia infection is presented. A number of diagnostic imaging modalities were used to reach the diagnosis. This complication has not been reported previously and it is likely secondary to suppurative lymphadenitis of a station 5 or 6 node. The patient was successfully managed nonsurgically with computed tomography-guided drainage and intravenous antibiotics.