Aortic dissection with rupture into the pericardial sac

Case contributed by J. Ray Ballinger , 5 Jul 2013
Diagnosis certain
Changed by Henry Knipe, 18 Sep 2015

Updates to Case Attributes

Age changed from 81 y/o to 81 years.
Presentation was changed:
81 y/o man with a historyHistory of hypertension and hypercholesterolemia found unconscious in nursing home.
Body was changed:

Aortic dissection is associated with hypertension, Marfan's syndrome and a bicuspid aortic valve. It commonly extends antegrade from either close to the aortic root (Type A) or just beyond the left subclavian artery (Type B). Less common is retrograde extension with rupture into the pericardial sac. There is about a 80% mortality within the first 2 weeks and an operative mortality of 25%. Management includes controlling hypertension. Reasons for surgical management include an enlarging aorta and in this case, pericardial tamponade. 

Related articles

- aortic dissection

- acute aortic syndrome

- Stanford classification

  • -<p>Aortic dissection is associated with hypertension, Marfan's syndrome and a bicuspid aortic valve. It commonly extends antegrade from either close to the aortic root (Type A) or just beyond the left subclavian artery (Type B). Less common is retrograde extension with rupture into the pericardial sac. There is about a 80% mortality within the first 2 weeks and an operative mortality of 25%. Management includes controlling hypertension. Reasons for surgical management include an enlarging aorta and in this case, pericardial tamponade. </p><p><strong>Related articles</strong></p><p>- <a title="Aortic dissection" href="/articles/aortic_dissection">aortic dissection</a></p><p>- <a title="Acute aortic syndrome" href="/articles/acute-aortic-syndrome">acute aortic syndrome</a></p><p>-<a title="Stanford classification of aortic dissection" href="/articles/stanford_classification"> Stanford classification</a></p>
  • +<p>Aortic dissection is associated with hypertension, Marfan's syndrome and a bicuspid aortic valve. It commonly extends antegrade from either close to the aortic root (Type A) or just beyond the left subclavian artery (Type B). Less common is retrograde extension with rupture into the pericardial sac. There is about a 80% mortality within the first 2 weeks and an operative mortality of 25%. Management includes controlling hypertension. Reasons for surgical management include an enlarging aorta and in this case, pericardial tamponade. </p>
Diagnostic Certainty was set to .

Systems changed:

  • Vascular

Updates to Study Attributes

Images Changes:

Image X-ray (Frontal) ( update )

Perspective was set to Frontal.
Single Or Stack Root was set to .

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