What is Aortic Dissection?
An aortic dissection, or “vessel wall layers” separation, occurs when a weakness in the inner layer of the aortic wall results in a sudden tear. Blood then leaks into the tear, causing the inner layer to separate from the middle layer of the blood vessel wall. The dissection may slowly heal on its own or cause a rupture in the aortic wall. Depending on the size, such a rupture can kill someone instantly or within a couple of days.
An aortic dissection begins with a tear in the inner layer of the aortic wall. The aortic wall is made up of three layers of tissue. When a tear occurs in the innermost layer of the aortic wall, blood is then channeled into the wall of the aorta, separating the layers of tissues. This generates great pressure in the aortic wall with a potential to rupture (burst). Aortic dissection can be a life-threatening emergency. Click Image to Enlarge What causes aortic dissection? The cause of aortic dissection is still under investigation. However, several risk factors associated with aortic dissection include, but are not limited to, the following: • hypertension (high blood pressure) • connective tissue disorders, such as Marfan’s disease, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, and Turner’s syndrome • cystic medial disease (a degenerative disease of the aortic wall) • aortitis (inflammation of the aorta) • atherosclerosis • existing thoracic aneurysm • bicuspid aortic valve (presence of only two cusps, or l
Aortic dissection is a tear or partial tear in the inside layer of the largest blood vessel in the body, the aorta. This tear allows blood to pass through the artery wall. Over time, this continuous flow can cause the aorta to break (this could cause sudden massive internal bleeding) – a condition that most people do not survive. There are two types of aortic dissections, although sometimes both conditions occur: • Type A: Dissection of the part of the aorta leading upwards from the heart. These dissections can be treated with medications (usually only for a short time), with catheterization, or with surgery. • Type B: Dissection of the part of the aorta that leads down (descending aorta) into the abdomen (stomach). These dissections are most often watched and treated with medications. Surgery may be done, but there is risk of paralysis.
Aortic dissection is a rare, but potentially fatal, condition in which blood passes through the inner lining and between the layers of the aorta. The dissecting aorta usually does not burst, but has an abnormal second channel within it. Aortic dissection is due to a partial tear in the main artery from the heart (aorta), which causes a separation (dissection) of the layers of the aortic wall and bleeding into and along the wall of the aorta. Aortic dissection is a life-threatening condition.
