Radiology, Vol 203, 23-31, Copyright © 1997 by Radiological Society of North America

ARTICLES

The dissected aorta: part I. Early anatomic changes in an in vitro model

DM Williams, MA LePage and DY Lee
Department of Radiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor 48109-0030, USA.

PURPOSE: To define early anatomic changes in the aorta in an in vitro hydrostatic model of acute aortic dissection. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Aortic dissections were created in explanted aortas. A small portion of the dissection flap was resected to allow free communication between the true and false lumina. The aortas were suspended in a saline bath and distended by means of a saline fluid column. By using intravascular ultrasonography, the arc lengths of the outer walls of the true and false lumina and of the dissection flap were measured at increasing hydrostatic pressures and at increasing fractions of dissected wall circumference. RESULTS: The dissected aorta immediately became ectatic. At a given fraction of wall circumference involved in dissection, total aortic cross-sectional area increased with increased hydrostatic pressure. At a given hydrostatic pressure, this area increased with increased fraction of wall circumference dissected. Most of the increase was due to dilatation of the false lumen. There were minimal changes in true-lumen size. Dissection flap length, after initial contraction at the time of dissection, changed minimally with increasing pressure. CONCLUSION: Anatomic changes in the dissected aorta depend on hydrostatic pressure and on the percentage of aortic wall involved in the dissection.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				A. Fayad A misplaced guide wire in the false lumen during endovascular repair of a type B aortic dissection Can J Anesth, November 1, 2007; 54(11): 947 - 948. [Full Text] [PDF]

				L. A. Pape, T. T. Tsai, E. M. Isselbacher, J. K. Oh, P. T. O'Gara, A. Evangelista, R. Fattori, G. Meinhardt, S. Trimarchi, E. Bossone, et al. Aortic Diameter >=5.5 cm Is Not a Good Predictor of Type A Aortic Dissection: Observations From the International Registry of Acute Aortic Dissection (IRAD) Circulation, September 4, 2007; 116(10): 1120 - 1127. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. A. LePage, L. E. Quint, S. S. Sonnad, G. M. Deeb, and D. M. Williams Aortic Dissection: CT Features that Distinguish True Lumen from False Lumen Am. J. Roentgenol., July 1, 2001; 177(1): 207 - 211. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				B. V. Czermak, P. Waldenberger, G. Fraedrich, A. H. Dessl, K. E. Roberts, R. J. Bale, R. Perkmann, and W. R. Jaschke Treatment of Stanford Type B Aortic Dissection with Stent-Grafts: Preliminary Results Radiology, November 1, 2000; 217(2): 544 - 550. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				J. W. Chung, C. Elkins, T. Sakai, N. Kato, T. Vestring, C. P. Semba, S. M. Slonim, and M. D. Dake True-Lumen Collapse in Aortic Dissection 1: Part I. Evaluation of Causative Factors in Phantoms with Pulsatile Flow Radiology, January 1, 2000; 214(1): 87 - 98. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				J. W. Chung, C. Elkins, T. Sakai, N. Kato, T. Vestring, C. P. Semba, S. M. Slonim, and M. D. Dake True-Lumen Collapse in Aortic Dissection 1: Part II. Evaluation of Treatment Methods in Phantoms with Pulsatile Flow Radiology, January 1, 2000; 214(1): 99 - 106. [Abstract] [Full Text]