Echocardiographic Mimics of aortic root dissection

Echocardiograms were recorded in two patients with suspected aortic root dissection. In the first patient with a massive pulmonary embolus, a simultaneous recording of the mitral ring and posterior aortic wall created a pattern similar to true posterior aortic wall dissection; in the second patient with severe generalized atherosclerosis, thickened aortic walls recorded echocardiographically were found at autopsy to be atherosclerotic plaques. These cases emphasize the potential for the false positive ultrasonic diagnosis of aortic root dissection.