BY DR. VIRENDRA I. PATEL
An aortic dissection is a tear in the lining of the aorta that creates two blood flow channels. One channel, called the true lumen, feeds blood to most of the important branches of the aorta and is surrounded by the normal aortic lining. The second channel, called the false lumen, may only feed a few (if any) important branches.
Aortic dissection is a very complicated condition. Untreated, an aortic dissection can lead to death.
A dissection that involves the ascending aorta almost always requires emergency open-heart surgery to repair the vessel and prevent death. ONLY ENDOVASCULAR TREATMENTS for distal dissections occurring beyond the left subclavian artery (feeds the left arm) are described here.