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Aortic Dissection

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Heart Disease Diagnosis and Therapy

Part of the book series: Contemporary Cardiology ((CONCARD))

Abstract

Dissection involving the ascending aorta has an extremely high mortality (up to 1% per minute, 60% in 60 minutes). Thus, time-consuming investigations that are not sufficiently sensitive or specific, such as computed tomography (CT), must be forsaken. Emergency surgery carries the only hope of survival for the unfortunate patient with dissection of the ascending aorta, and immediate accurate diagnosis is mandatory to guide interventional therapy. Presently, the quickest, most accurate diagnostic procedure is transesophageal echocardiography (TEE), which can be performed at the bedside, in the intensive care unit, or in the operating room.

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© 2005 Humana Press Inc., Totowa, NJ

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(2005). Aortic Dissection. In: Heart Disease Diagnosis and Therapy. Contemporary Cardiology. Humana Press. https://doi.org/10.1385/1-59259-868-4:369

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1385/1-59259-868-4:369

  • Publisher Name: Humana Press

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-58829-439-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-59259-868-7

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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