An incidental finding of localized aortic arch dissection in a polytraumatized patient. A case report and state of the art of <i>non-A non-B</i> aortic dissection

Abstract

Non-A non-B aortic dissection is considered a rare nosological entity, included in the Stanford classification, representing a small percentage of the total aortic dissections that occur annually. Regarding this form, the literature reports a more complicated disease course compared to other types of dissection. We describe the case of a 76-year-old patient who accessed the triage section of an emergency department for a polytrauma picture and, after surgical treatment of a leg fracture, received a diagnosis of non-A non-B aortic dissection, "localized" to the arch and incidentally detected. The angio-computed tomography (CT) showed that the only intimal tear was located in the central portion of the aortic arch, with no exit tear. No signs of malperfusion or clinical symptoms related to the aortic finding were evident. The Aortic Team decided on a conservative approach, whereby the patient was started on medical therapy to control blood pressure in a monitored bed of a semi-intensive care unit. The persistent asymptomatic state, a condition of hemodynamic stability, and an unchanged angio-CT picture enabled discharge on day 7 and the assignment to a close follow-up.

Keywords

• Aortic dissection
• angio-computed tomography
• endovascular aortic repair