Medicine:Acute aortic syndrome

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Acute aortic syndrome
Aorta Anatomy.jpg
Major aorta anatomy displaying ascending aorta, brachiocephalic trunk, left common carotid artery, left subclavian artery, aortic isthmus, aortic arch, and descending thoracic aorta
SpecialtyVascular surgery

Acute aortic syndrome (AAS) describes a range of severe, painful, potentially life-threatening abnormalities of the aorta.[1] These include aortic dissection, intramural thrombus, and penetrating atherosclerotic aortic ulcer.[2] AAS can be caused by a lesion on the wall of the aorta that involves the tunica media, often in the descending aorta.[3] It is possible for AAS to lead to acute coronary syndrome.[4] The term was introduced in 2001.[5][6]

Signs and symptoms

The most common symptom of AAS is sudden and severe chest pain. However, other variants of chest pain and back pain have been described.[7]

Causes

Causes can include aortic dissection (which is the most common type),[8] intramural hematoma, penetrating atherosclerotic ulcer or a thoracic aneurysm that has become unstable.[9] The potential causes of AAS are life-threatening and present with similar symptoms, making it difficult to distinguish the ultimate cause, though high resolution, high contrast computerised tomography can be used.[9][10]

Diagnosis

The condition can be mimicked by a ruptured cyst of the pericardium,[11] ruptured aortic aneurysm[10] and acute coronary syndrome.[12]

Misdiagnosis is estimated at 39% and is associated with delays correct diagnosis and improper treatment with anticoagulants producing excessive bleeding and extended hospital stays.[12]

Management

AAS is life-threatening, with a high mortality rate if appearing acutely, reduced only when diagnosed early and treated by a surgeon with considerable expertise.[3] If patients survive acute presentation, within three to five years 30% will develop complications and require close follow-up.[3] Early diagnosis is essential for survival and management is challenging though greater awareness of the syndrome and improving management strategies are improving patient outcomes.[13]

References

  1. "Acute aortic syndrome: pathology and therapeutic strategies". Postgrad Med J 82 (967): 305–12. May 2006. doi:10.1136/pgmj.2005.043083. PMID 16679467. PMC 2563796. http://pmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/pmidlookup?view=long&pmid=16679467. 
  2. Macura, KJ; Corl FM; Fishman EK; Bluemke DA (1 August 2003). "Pathogenesis in acute aortic syndromes: aortic dissection, intramural hematoma, and penetrating atherosclerotic aortic ulcer". American Journal of Roentgenology 181 (2): 309–316. doi:10.2214/ajr.181.2.1810309. PMID 12876003. 
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 Evangelista Masip A (April 2007). "[Progress in the acute aortic syndrome]" (in es). Rev Esp Cardiol 60 (4): 428–39. doi:10.1157/13101646. PMID 17521551. 
  4. "Multi-detector row computed tomography: imaging in acute aortic syndrome". Clin Radiol 60 (12): 1256–67. December 2005. doi:10.1016/j.crad.2005.06.011. PMID 16291307. 
  5. "Acute aortic syndrome: proposal for a novel classification". Heart 89 (8): 928. August 2003. doi:10.1136/heart.89.8.928. PMID 12860875. 
  6. "Acute aortic syndrome". Heart 85 (4): 365–8. April 2001. doi:10.1136/heart.85.4.365. PMID 11250953. 
  7. Murphy, Michael C.; Castner, Catherine F.; Kouchoukos, Nicholas T. (2017). "Acute Aortic Syndromes: Diagnosis and Treatment". Missouri Medicine 114 (6): 458–463. ISSN 0026-6620. PMID 30228665. 
  8. Gregory, Stephen H.; Yalamuri, Suraj M.; Bishawi, Muath; Swaminathan, Madhav (December 2018). "The Perioperative Management of Ascending Aortic Dissection" (in en). Anesthesia & Analgesia 127 (6): 1302–1313. doi:10.1213/ANE.0000000000003747. ISSN 0003-2999. PMID 30211773. https://dx.doi.org/10.1213%2FANE.0000000000003747. 
  9. 9.0 9.1 "CT imaging for acute aortic syndrome". Cleve Clin J Med 75 (1): 7–9, 12, 15–7 passim. January 2008. doi:10.3949/ccjm.75.1.7. PMID 18236724. 
  10. 10.0 10.1 "Thoracic aortic aneurysm: direct sign of rupture". Cardiovasc J Afr 18 (3): 180–1. 2007. PMID 17612751. 
  11. "Pericardial cyst rupture mimicking acute aortic syndrome". Eur. Heart J. 29 (14): 1752. February 2008. doi:10.1093/eurheartj/ehn038. PMID 18296680. 
  12. 12.0 12.1 "Frequency of and inappropriate treatment of misdiagnosis of acute aortic dissection". Am. J. Cardiol. 99 (6): 852–6. March 2007. doi:10.1016/j.amjcard.2006.10.055. PMID 17350381. 
  13. "[Management of acute aortic syndromes]" (in es). Rev Esp Cardiol 60 (5): 526–41. May 2007. doi:10.1016/S1885-5857(07)60194-7. PMID 17535765.