Pitfalls in Echocardiography: Superior Aortic Recess Pericardial Effusion Mimicking Ascending Aorta Dissection

Acute aortic dissection is a life-threatening cardiovascular emergency and prompt diagnosis is crucial to improve the patient outcomes. Bedside transthoracic echocardiography performed in the emergency department plays a pivotal role in the initial workup of a suspected aortic disease. In this case report, we present a clinical case in which emergency echocardiographic evaluation initially suggested an erroneous diagnosis of aortic dissection, ruled out by chest computed tomography angiography and therefore highlighting a potential pitfall in echocardiography.