Type B aortic dissection and endoluminal stent grafts: Concise review

Abstract

Acute aortic dissection is a challenging clinical emergency which may have catastrophic consequences if it is not diagnosed and treated promptly. Medical treatment controlling hypertension and pain is usually selected as the initial approach for uncomplicated aortic type B dissection while surgery has been reserved only for those patients with complications such as aortic rupture, malperfusion of viscera, kidneys or limbs and persistent pain despite adequate medical treatment. Recent technical advances have heralded enormous improvements in diagnosis and treatment. The emergence of endoluminal stent grafts as a treatment option for aortic pathology has added an important dimension to the traditional ways of managing patients presenting with thoracic dissection.