Tag Archives: acute aortic syndrome

Introduction The acute aortic syndrome refers to a spectrum of potentially life-threatening emergencies encompassing intra-mural haematoma, penetrating aortic ulcer and acute aortic dissection, each with different pathophysiological mechanisms.1 Of these, acute dissections comprise 85–95% of acute aortic syndrome, with an annual incidence of 3–4 per 100,000 in the UK and US.2 According to the Stanford classification, type A aortic dissection (ATAD) involves the aorta proximal to the left subclavian artery origin, whereas type B dissections occur distal to this landmark. The disruption of aortic wall integrity in ATAD with proximal extensi