The importance of clinical suspicion in the diagnosis of a successfully managed case with De Bakey Type 1 acute aortic dissection: A case report

Abstract

Type 1 aortic dissection is a catastrophic clinical entity originating from the ascending aorta. Clinical suspicion in patients with epigastric pain, chest pain and gastrointestinal symptoms might be life saving. Aortic dissection and acute mesenteric ischemia might be confusing in diagnosis of patients with epigastric pain, chest pain, gastrointestinal symptoms and high white blood cell count and D-dimer. In this case report of a patient who was admitted to the emergency room with a presentation resembling acute mesenteric ischemia, this diagnosis was excluded within the first 24 hours as a result of clinical suspicion. In this case report, the successful management in diagnosis and treatment of a 30-year-old male patient with type 1 aortic dissection is discussed in light of the literature.

Keywords: Aortic dissection; acute mesenteric ischemia; chest pain.

Figure 1.

The false lumen view on CT in De Bakey type 1 aortic dissection