Aortic dissection

Aortic dissection occurs when a tear in the aorta’s inner layer lets blood enter and separate layers of its wall, creating a false channel.

Aortic wall: The aorta’s layered structure, comprising the intima, media, and adventitia. Dissection separates these layers after blood passes through a tear in the intima.
Stanford classification: A system that divides aortic dissection into type A, involving the ascending aorta, and type B, not involving it. This distinction strongly shapes whether emergency surgery is usually needed.
Aortic aneurysm: A localized enlargement of the aorta caused by weakening of its wall. An aneurysm is an enlargement; a dissection is blood splitting layers of the wall.
Malperfusion syndrome: Organ or limb ischemia caused by inadequate blood flow through affected arteries. A dissection can obstruct branch vessels and deprive organs of blood.
Aortic intima: The innermost layer of the aortic wall, formed by endothelium and underlying tissue. A break in this layer commonly lets blood enter the wall.
DeBakey classification: A classification of aortic dissection based on its origin and extent along the aorta. Its three types describe propagation more precisely than the Stanford system.
Intramural hematoma: Bleeding within the aortic wall without a visible intimal tear or flowing false lumen. It belongs to the acute aortic syndrome spectrum but lacks typical dissection anatomy.
Stroke: Sudden brain injury caused by interrupted blood flow or bleeding within the brain. Extension into arteries supplying the brain can cause stroke.
False lumen: An abnormal channel formed when blood separates layers within an artery wall. This channel is the defining pathway created as dissection advances.
Computed tomography angiography: Imaging that combines computed tomography with injected contrast to visualize blood vessels. It is commonly used to confirm dissection and map its extent.

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