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Updated: Dec 12, 2025

Author Spotlight: Using Point-of-Care Ultrasound for Comprehensive Evaluation of the Abdominal Aorta
Published on: September 8, 2023
Aortic dissection and multimodality imaging
Shweta Paulraj1, Prashanth Ashok Kumar1, Ajay Uprety2
1Department of Medicine, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, New York, USA.
Insights
Computed tomographic angiography (CTA) can miss traumatic aortic dissection. Transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE) and transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE) are crucial for confirming diagnosis when clinical suspicion is high.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Imaging
- Emergency Medicine
- Diagnostic Accuracy
Background:
- Aortic dissection is a critical medical emergency requiring rapid diagnosis.
- Computed tomographic angiography (CTA) is the standard diagnostic tool but has limitations.
- Traumatic type A aortic dissection presents diagnostic challenges.
Abstract:
Aortic dissection is a life-threatening emergency warranting expeditious diagnosis. Computed tomographic angiography (CTA) is the established gold standard test but is not always fool proof. We report the case of an 18-year-old male patient with traumatic type A aortic dissection which was not evident on the CTA, suggestive on the transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE) and eventually confirmed with a transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE). When the clinical suspicion for dissection is high and in the presence of complications of type A dissection, such as aortic regurgitation, it would be prudent to obtain further imaging with a TTE/TEE to rule in or rule out the diagnosis.
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