Thoracic Aortic Disease - Aortic Dissection

The term Thoracic Aortic Disease (TAD), covers a wide range of degenerative, structural, acquired, genetically based and traumatic diseases, conditions and presentations of the thoracic aorta. In 2010 several professional associations published joint Recommendations for diagnosis and treatment of TAD, and last year ESC published new Guidelines for diagnosis and treatment of Aortic Disease. Interesting enough is the fact that, 2010 Guidelines were the first recommendations accompanied by a campaign designed for the general population, with a purpose to increase awareness of the existence and importance of these conditions. It was explained by the fact that dissection of the thoracic aorta, the most distinguished acute clinical manifestation of TAD, is recognized as one of the twenty most common causes of death.
This is a condition that is diagnosed mainly based on data obtained by a detailed history and clinical examination, for the existence of high-risk situations, high-risk features of the chest pain and high risk clinical findings. Unfortunately, yet, there isn’t sensitive and specific biomarker that could help in the diagnosis of this acute condition. The definitive confirmation of the disease is made by imaging of the aorta with one of the imaging modalities such as transoesophageal echocardiography (TOE), computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance (MRI). And in terms of rapid diagnosis, this condition is still characterized with high mortality.
This paper is an attempt to give an overview of the situation with TAD in our country, through a retrospective analysis of the medical database at the University Clinic of Cardiology of all patients hospitalized during the year 2009 with a working diagnosis of AoD.