Subtle aortic dissection in a patient with severe aortic regurgitation and undiagnosed bicuspid aortic valve: A case report with a literature review.

BACKGROUND AND AIM OF THE STUDY: A subtle aortic dissection can be challenging to detect despite the availability of multiple diagnostic modalities. Whilst rare, the inability to detect this variant of aortic dissection can lead to a dismal prognosis. We present an extremely rare case of a subtle aortic dissection with supra-annular aortic root intimal tear and acute severe aortic regurgitation in a patient with a bicuspid aortic valve. METHODS: Case report and literature review conserning subtle aortic dissection is provided. RESULTS: Initial concerns were either aortic dissection or infective endocarditis. Despite advanced multimodality preoperative imaging, diagnosis was made intraoperatively and a Bentall procedure with a mechanical aortic valve was performed. CONCLUSIONS: Our case along with the review of current literature emphasizes that current imaging techniques may be inadequate for diagnosis of this rare variant of aortic dissection.

A review of endovascular management of abdominal aortic aneurysm.

Abdominal aortic aneurysm is a common finding in older men and is often asymptomatic, either being found incidentally or presenting with acute rupture. This article will discuss the current indications for treatment and the clinical evidence behind the options currently available.

Multidetector CT angiography in live donor renal transplantation: experience from 156 consecutive cases at a single centre.

The performance of multidetector computed tomography (CT) angiography was assessed in the pre-operative evaluation of live renal donors. Between July 1998 and March 2006, 156 consecutive patients underwent open donor nephrectomy following pre-operative multidetector CT angiography (MDCTA). Operative notes were compared with radiological reports and discrepancies identified. MDCTA missed five of 28 accessory arteries (four visible with hindsight), accuracy of 96%. Of 30 early-branching renal arteries, eight were missed (all visible with hindsight), accuracy 95%. MDCTA missed only one of 13 venous anomalies (accuracy 97%) and also missed the only duplicated collecting system: both were undetectable with hindsight. Following modifications to image acquisition and interpretation sensitivity, negative-predictive value and accuracy were significantly increased. The results were compared with pooled data from published studies of live donor imaging. This study and previous studies of MDCTA had improved sensitivity for arterial and venous anomalies over single detector CT angiography and MR angiography. We conclude that multidetector CT angiography is an accurate modality in the pre-operative evaluation of live renal donors. Regular communication between the transplant surgeon and the radiologist is paramount to improve reporting of surgically relevant anatomy. Mechanisms should exist for auditing and improving pre-operative imaging in any live donor programme.