Aortic dissections following heart transplantations.

BACKGROUND: Aortic dissection in a cardiac allograft is an uncommon complication of heart transplantation with only few cases reported in the literature. METHOD: We report a case of 46-year-old female who underwent orthotopic heart transplantation for dilated cardiomyopathy 22 years earlier. During surveillance echocardiographic examination she was diagnosed with type A aortic dissection limited to the donor aorta. The aortic root was successfully replaced using a valve-sparing David procedure. The pathogenesis and surgical management of these dissections is reviewed. CONCLUSION: Appropriate surgical repair performed in a timely fashion leads to excellent results improving the prognosis of these patients.