[Three-channeled aortic dissection; report of a case]

The formation of 2 adjacent lumens is rarely observed in aortic dissection. We report herein a case of ruptured 3-channeled aortic dissection in a short time of hospitalization. A 58-year-old man who had been followed up for aortic dissection (Stanford type B) was admitted to Kumamoto National Hospital with an abdominal pain and a lumbago. A computed tomography (CT) revealed that a 3-channeled aortic dissection from the aortic arch to the right common iliac artery. An intramural hematoma was generated in the abdominal aorta and the left kidney was not enhanced. We initially adopted conservative therapies. But on the next day, he suddenly complained a severe back pain and died. At autopsy, the thoracic aorta was found to have ruptured into the mediastinum, and massive hematoma was formed.