Fatal aortic disease examined

The Royal Society of Medicine’s Vascular Medicine Section and University College London Hospitals’ Multidisciplinary Endovascular Team recently hosted a two-day symposium in central London to discuss the latest challenges and developments in the treatment of aortic disease, including aneurysms and dissections. The symposium (sponsored by Cook Medical) provided a forum for internationally renowned experts in aortic arch pathology and dissections to debate the existing challenges and present the latest developments in treatment options. Life-threatening diseases of the ascending aorta and aortic arch are some of the most challenging conditions to treat for conventional cardiovascular and vascular surgery, many of which are being addressed with developments in endovascular treatment. These developments are leading to a renewed convergence of the cardiac and vascular specialties, which could radically change the approach to treating these conditions and enable increasingly complex cases to be treated effectively.

Aortic dissection

The aorta is the main blood vessel that carries blood from the heart to the rest of the body and extends from the chest to the lower abdomen. Sometimes, with ageing, high blood pressure, or other changes, a section of the aorta may weaken and tear. Tearing of the inner layers of the vessel walls allows blood to flow into the middle layer of the aorta, separating the inner and outer layers. This tearing is called a dissection. When the dissection occurs in the part of the aorta that runs through the chest, it is called a thoracic aortic dissection. A potentially life-threatening condition, aortic dissection occurs in approximately two out of every 10,000 people and is most commonly seen in men aged 40 to 70. There are two classifications: